Minor Moves

The best part of the Seahawks loss to the Panthers yesterday is the relief I have knowing that it's socially acceptable in this region to pour more energy into the Mariners than any other team at the moment. Therefore, it is also socially acceptable (or at least closer to socially acceptable) to talk about minor league transactions!

I have a soft spot for minor league transactions. There are so many of them and they get almost no coverage, probably because they rarely amount to anything at the MLB level. In fact, most moves are for bolstering minor league depth with no eye towards the MLB roster. Still, as someone who owns a mini season ticket package to the Rainiers, these moves impact my viewing pleasure of baseball arguably more than most other moves. Here is a recap of what the Mariners have done at the minor league level so far this offseason, at least in the upper levels. I will limit myself to players with AA and AAA experience:

Lost in free agency:

• 1B Ji-Man Choi (Angels) - I liked Choi for years as a darkhorse prospect. He lacked power but had solid on-base and hitting skills across every level he played. Unfortunately, he did not play much, thanks to things like broken legs and drug suspensions. He will likely roll through Tacoma as a member of the Salt Lake Bees, and might see some time in the majors if things go right for him.
• LHP Anthony Fernandez (Tigers) - Fernandez was never noted for his arm strength, but he profiled as the classic "crafty lefty." He has an array of pitches, none of them elite, but all decent enough with good command. I don't know how much arm power he has left after major arm surgery though. He is probably minor league depth, but a spacious park like Comerica could be a decent landing spot for him if injuries accumulate on the Detroit staff and he somehow finds himself in the majors.
• 1B/3B Jordy Lara (Braves) - Lara has power, but it comes with contact and defense concerns. In most places I would assume he is minor league depth, but the Braves are in a fairly substantial rebuild. This is one of the few places I could imagine him getting some playing time just in case he finds a way to make enough contact to take advantage of his power.
• LHP Lucas Luetge (Angels) - The former Rule 5 draft pick that posted a shockingly great start to his MLB career slowly sunk into AAA depth. He likely remains that for the Angels, but given his MLB experience he is likely seen as a guy that could be called upon in a pinch.
• RHP J.C. Ramirez (Reds) - Ramirez spent time in the majors last year, and dials up a fastball in the mid to upper 90s. The Reds are rebuilding so he has a good chance to log some innings in the majors this year. The arm has never been the question. Everything else is though.
• RHP Chien-Ming Wang (Royals) - Wang, now 35 years old, is becoming the AAA version of Bartolo Colon. He simply soldiers on! Also, since the Royals are affiliated with Omaha, he could pitch in Tacoma this year. I don't see any way Wang cracks the Royals staff at any point this year, but who knows? I don't know what would be a more entertaining story - Wang getting back to the majors, or building a small career in AAA without any MLB appearances.

Still free agents:

I can't believe I actually found a Leury Bonilla picture.
(Joel Dinda, Wikimedia Commons)

• UT Leury Bonilla - Bonilla is the ultimate utility player. Frankly, his flexibility probably earned him at least half of his career. He played the infield mostly, but the most noteworthy part of his career are his rather ludicrous 11 pitching appearances in the minors as a position player. Perhaps more amazing is his career 1-0 record. I will forever love Leury Bonilla because I was at his victory. He was the first (and is still the only) position player I have seen pitch in person, which was one of the highest desires on my baseball bucket list. He came in during the 17th inning of a tie ballgame because the Rainiers were out of other options. Incredibly, Bonilla retired the side in order and even STRUCK OUT a batter with a mix that included a BREAKING BALL. It was a fairly slurvy, tumbling breaking ball, but it was enough to be devastating when it comes from the hand of a third baseman at 12:45am. Bonilla's pitching performance in the wee hours of that August morning stands as one of the most memorable and wonderful innings I have ever watched in person. The win was the cherry on top. I will always have a soft spot for Leury Bonilla because he gave me this memory.
• LHP Jimmy Gillheeney - I don't have a similarly captivating story about Gillheeney. He's a softer-tossing lefy with a big, looping curveball.

New acquisitions:

• OF Mike Baxter - Baxter is a scrappy spare outfielder. He brings 232 games worth of MLB experience to the Mariners, along with a decent batting eye. If all goes right he will stay in Tacoma the whole year, though he could conceivably help the Mariners survive a litany of outfield injuries.
• RHP Casey Coleman - Coleman is an undersized right-hander with limited control on the mound and stuff that plays up quite a bit better in the bullpen. I would assume he slots into Tacoma's bullpen as a middle reliever but time will tell. He has a fair amount of MLB experience but none of his stints have gone tremendously well.
• INF Benji Gonzalez - Gonzalez is a small, pesky switch-hitter with little power to speak of. He gets by with a decent eye at the plate. It's hard to imagine him playing anywhere beyond Tacoma, though at only 26 years old perhaps he still develops further.
• INF Ed Lucas - Lucas is no spring chicken at 33 years old. That's rather old for a minor league free agent. He flashes an advanced eye in AAA, though it has not followed him to the MLB level in the looks he has received. Lucas could prove to be a very good infielder for the Rainiers in 2016 and helps build up some emergency depth in the Mariners system in case injuries pile up at the MLB level.
• LHP Brad Mills - Mills has bounced around quite a bit the last few years as a pitcher intriguing enough to pick up but not good enough to hang on to. He is a lefty with some strikeout potential but control and command issues. It will be interesting to see if the M's make him rotation depth in Tacoma or slot him in the bullpen, where he just might be able to serve as MLB depth.
• RHP Blake Parker - Parker is a surprisingly intriguing acquisition. He barely pitched at all last year, but before that racked up some impressive numbers in AAA and the majors. It's easy to see him as a contributor in the Mariners bullpen, assuming he is healthy and recovered. That's a significant assumption, but as a minor league signee there is no risk involved here. I will be watching him closely early on.
• RHP Donn Roach - Roach has some MLB experience but for all intents and purposes looks like a solid veteran signed to soak up some innings in Tacoma. He likely slots into the Rainiers rotation as a capable arm that rarely dazzles but hopefully keeps the team in ballgames.

Few to none of these players are going to play in the majors next year, much less make an impact in the majors. No individual loss or acquisition on this list is significant. With that said, the signees are different than the players the Mariners let walk away. The new acquisitions are types of players that the Zduriencik regime generally ignored, for better or worse. Many of the new players are not all that "toolsy," but they are polished. They know how to maximize what skills they have. The hitters tend to have good plate discipline, and the pitchers tend to know how to navigate a handful of innings somewhat capably at the AAA level (instead of having big arms with little to no command). This will likely make for a better overall Rainiers squad, for whatever that is worth.

More significantly, these minor moves further illuminate the differences between Zduriencik and Dipoto. There are tons of minor league free agents that are not appreciably more or less talented than one another. So, teams differentiate based on particular traits that they prefer. Zduriencik tended to prefer raw tools, especially with pitchers. Dipoto is more interested in plate discipline and command. This is not surprising given Dipoto's public comments but it's good to see the integrity of his vision seeping into minor league moves.