2021 Minor League Transaction Thread

[zagski6]

Also, pitcher Scott Sunitsch is now listed as being on the 7-day Injured List at High-A Wisconsin.

 

Looked as if he was saying goodbye to some teammates after the game on Saturday, and left the clubhouse with his travel bag. Sounds like he's headed to AZ.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Gotta get these guys some AB. The brewers could field an entire team with their rehab players. Leaves little for the rest of these guys.

[Mass Haas]

Brewers sign two pitchers for the Dominican Summer League --

 

5'10", 160 lb. LHP Junior Castillo

 

6'3", 180 lb. RHP Gregory Baez

 

As of yet, their player pages have not been updated to include birthdates or country.

 

To be determined whether they will formally debut in 2021 or 2022.

[Hopper]

Garcia back to Appleton again?

This guy is just never going to figure things out is he?

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Garcia back to Appleton again?

This guy is just never going to figure things out is he?

 

To be fair, Garcia playing for the Timber Rattlers again after playing there in 2019 isn't a lateral move, as that team is now the Brewers A+ affiliate.

[bork]

Nashville clubhouse is getting crowded. We've got Wiegel and Maile optioned , Godley outrighted and Yelich and Roberston joining Fisher, Lopes and Peterson on rehab assignment. You've got most of the AAA lineup going to be fighting it out for the last bench spot in Milwaukee.

[TURBO]

Garcia back to Appleton again?

This guy is just never going to figure things out is he?

 

To be fair, Garcia playing for the Timber Rattlers again after playing there in 2019 isn't a lateral move, as that team is now the Brewers A+ affiliate.

 

Yeah, Appleton is now A+ or High A whatever you want to call it.

 

Garcia isn't being sent back down to A ball, although it's a demotion, not as bad as you think.

[markedman5]

From Brewers PD

 

Player moves: OF Dylan Cozens will join Nashville tonight.

 

C Brent Diaz has been transferred to Biloxi.

 

C Jhonnys Cabrera will join the extended spring training program.

 

RHP Eddy Tavarez, RHP Brayan Salaya & C Roberto Molina have been released.

[JohnBriggs12]

I imagine it's going to take a while to determine who belongs where since most of these guys didn't play at all in 2020.

[Mass Haas]

From Brewers PD

 

RHP Eddy Tavarez, RHP Brayan Salaya & C Roberto Molina have been released.

 

We discussed Tavarez's release back on May 6th here.

 

RHP Brayan Salaya, now 21 years old, signed for $250,000 out of Venezuela as part of the July 2nd, 2016 signing class.

 

Catcher Roberto Molina, also now 21, was signed from that same group, also out of Venezuela, for $200,000.

 

As you can tell from those player links, neither player established themselves at all, never advancing beyond Maryvale.

 

That 2016 Brewers draft class (fifth-largest MLB bonus pool overall at $4,098,500) has been discussed to some extent on this forum previously. It turned out pretty bad, unless you count utilizing INF Jean Carmona in the Jonathan Schoop deal. Oops on that, too, and Carmona has yet to suit up for the Orioles in 2021.

 

And yes, OF Pablo Abreu (coming back from elbow surgery) and INF Antonio Pinero (will miss the 2021 season with an unspecified injury), are still in the system.

[damuelle]

Can we be generous and include Miguel Sanchez, Freisis Adames and Harold Chirino in that class?

[damuelle]

From their website roster, it appears that our Low-A Mudcats have made three moves:

- OF Micah Bello to the 7-day injured list

- OF Andre Nnebe to the Active roster (23-year old, 28th round 2019 pick who had an .888 OPS in 2019 at AZL Brewers Blue)

- IF Daniel Castillo to the Active roster (20-year old, perhaps filling in for IF Freddy Zamora, who's been on our injury-watch for a few days)

[damuelle]

Pitcher Andy Otero was added to the AA Biloxi Shuckers active roster and pitched a clean 8th inning (fly out, ground out, strike out swinging) in the win last night.

 

He hasn't thrown for any MLB affiliate since 2015, but was lights out in the recent Dominican Winter League.

 

https://cafebeisbolero.com/2021/04/30/el-izquierdo-andy-otero-llega-a-un-acuerdo-de-ligas-menores-con-los-cerveceros-de-milwaukee/

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=otero-001and

[Mass Haas]

From my tweet:

 

Brewers re-signing 24-year-old Panamanian RHP Carlos Luna a pleasant surprise. Luna absolutely dazzled in Dominican Summer League at age 18 back in '15, then missed next two full seasons w/Tommy John surgery & subsequent complications. Made 14 starts for @VibesBaseball in 2019.

[CheeseheadInQC]

From my tweet:

 

Brewers re-signing 24-year-old Panamanian RHP Carlos Luna a pleasant surprise. Luna absolutely dazzled in Dominican Summer League at age 18 back in '15, then missed next two full seasons w/Tommy John surgery & subsequent complications. Made 14 starts for @VibesBaseball in 2019.

I'm glad he's back. When he was healthy, all he did was get guys out.

[damuelle]

From Tom Haudricourt: "#Brewers announce veteran INF Dee Strange-Gordon has been released from

@nashvillesounds. Obviously wasn't in their big-league picture with acquisition of Willy Adames. I'm guessing he exercised his opt-out right. Was signed after season began.

 

 

I'd really thought we'd give a shot to a middle infielder hitting .333 in AAA, with only 5 Ks in 45 PAs, but I'm obviously missing something. Best of luck to Dee Strange-Gordon.

[brewmann04]

Yes guess this was going to happen after the move but i thought like you he might have. been given a shot in Milwaukee.

[DHonks]

going to hope the Brewers assessments were that he couldn't help at SS

[Mass Haas]

Per MiLB.com:

 

Brewers sign 18-year-old LHP Fraudy Maldonado.

 

The 6'0", 155 lb. Dominican native originally signed with the Mets in the July 2019 signing period. However, he was released this past March before ever suiting up for the Mets' organization.

 

He's been assigned to the DSL team the Brewers will share with the Blue Jays in 2021.

[ARobsBrewCrew]

Talked with Antoine Kelly today, he is hoping to be on the Opening Day roster for one of the AZL squads where he’ll rehab at the end of June. He said worst case scenario is an early July rehab assignment. Was told after a few appearances in Arizona he will move up to Carolina and hopefully Wisconsin before the end of the season.

[brooks_quichenick]

Talked with Antoine Kelly today, he is hoping to be on the Opening Day roster for one of the AZL squads where he’ll rehab at the end of June. He said worst case scenario is an early July rehab assignment. Was told after a few appearances in Arizona he will move up to Carolina and hopefully Wisconsin before the end of the season.

 

That is great news, thanks for sharing.

[damuelle]

With the AAA Sounds losing Keston Hiura (recall to MLB), Dee Strange-Gordon (release) and Jace Peterson (DFA) over the past few days, I want to believe that Jamie Westbrook will re-join the team from the AA Shuckers.

 

Of course, Cooper Hummel could re-appear out of thin air (from injury) or they could promote another player (e.g. Erceg, Palma). Let's see...

 

Oh, and as reported elsewhere, Logan Forsythe and Clayton Andrews were named to the US Olympic Qualifying Roster.

Congrats to them! The Sounds now list them on the Temporary Inactive List, so this could cause a further ripple effect in the system.

[Mass Haas]

Two more RHP's for the DSL, no country of origin or birthdates posted yet:

 

Domingo Mejia

 

Gerson Calzadilla

[Mass Haas]

Here's what we wrote about RHP Nick Belzer, posted last November when the Brewers released a slew of players, the full post can be found here:

 

RHP Nick Belzer parlayed this Flatground App pitching video into a spot with the independent St. Paul Saints, where he would begin 2019 posting a 1.32 ERA in five starts, netting him a Brewers contract in June. Belzer, nearing 24 years old that August, did what he was supposed to, taming Arizona League rookies with a 1.15 WHIP in 48.2 IP. Belzer never saw action above Maryvale, and at some point the Brewers are going to have to start placing these types of signings directly at the low-A level to get a more realistic view of what they have. Belzer was one of several farmhands to get in work in 2020 Covid-era indy ball, heading back to St. Paul, where he appeared in 13 games (six starts) with a 4.21 ERA in 36.1 IP.

 

Belzer had just started his 2021 independent American Association season with the Sioux City (Iowa) Explorers, making one start -- 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 6 K

 

(VIDEO Highlight -- game was vs. Milwaukee Milkmen)

 

5/24/21 TWEET: Brewers re-acquire Belzer

 

Welcome back, Nick!

 

Likely headed to Carolina or Wisconsin soon enough.

[ARobsBrewCrew]

Interesting to see that the Brewers will only operate one team in the AZL. Seems as though they have a significant number of players to fit on two DSL clubs (one being a co-op) and only one AZL team.