April-June 2020 Phillies Minor League Transactions

[julio]

5/7:

RHP Jason Lott assigned to GCL Phillies East.

5/15:
SS Erick Barria assigned to DSL Phillies White.
OF Felix Reyes assigned to DSL Phillies White.
RHP Edgar Zuniga assigned to DSL Phillies White.

5/29:
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released LHP Junior Tejada.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released LHP Aaron Brown.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released 3B T.J. Rivera.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released LHP Brandon Leibrandt.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released 3B Ali Castillo.
Reading Fightin Phils released RHP Sandro Rosario.
Reading Fightin Phils released RHP Tyler Hallead.
Reading Fightin Phils released RHP Carlos Bustamante.
Clearwater Threshers released RHP Michael Gomez.
Clearwater Threshers released RF Ben Aklinski.
Clearwater Threshers released RHP Waylon Richardson.
Clearwater Threshers released C Willie Estrada.
Clearwater Threshers released C Gabriel Ojeda.
Lakewood BlueClaws released 2B Hunter Stovall.
Lakewood BlueClaws released SS Raul Rivas.
GCL Phillies East released C Juan Mendez.
GCL Phillies East released RHP Brian Auerbach.
GCL Phillies West released OF Jordan McArdle.
GCL Phillies East released RHP Jason Lott.
DSL Phillies Red released SS Raibently Mercalina.
DSL Phillies Red released RHP Joan Hernandez.
DSL Phillies Red released LHP Daivin Perez.
DSL Phillies Red released RHP Cristofer Adames.
DSL Phillies White released LHP Nathanael Bido.
DSL Phillies White released LHP Alberto Torres.
DSL Phillies White released RHP Raul Mendoza.
DSL Phillies White released LHP Camilo Hinestroza.

6/14;
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent LHP Jordan Fowler to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Sam Jacobsak to a minor league contract.

6/16:
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Chase Antle to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent LHP Jake McKenna to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Jonathan Hughes to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Noah Skirrow to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Billy Sullivan to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent LHP J.P. Woodward to a minor league contract.

6/17:
RHP Sam Jacobsak assigned to Clearwater Threshers.
LHP Jordan Fowler assigned to Clearwater Threshers.
RHP Chase Antle assigned to GCL Phillies West.
LHP J.P. Woodward assigned to GCL Phillies West.
RHP Billy Sullivan assigned to GCL Phillies West.
RHP Jonathan Hughes assigned to GCL Phillies West.
LHP Jake McKenna assigned to GCL Phillies West.
RHP Noah Skirrow assigned to GCL Phillies West.

6/18:
Philadelphia Phillies signed OF Baron Radcliff to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Blake Brown to a minor league contract.
RHP Blake Brown assigned to Clearwater Threshers.

6/19:
Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Carson Ragsdale to a minor league contract.
Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent RHP Buddy Hayward to a minor league contract.
RHP Buddy Hayward assigned to GCL Phillies West.

6/24:
Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Mick Abel to a minor league contract.
RHP Mick Abel assigned to GCL Phillies East.

6/25:
RHP Carson Ragsdale assigned to Williamsport Crosscutters.
OF Baron Radcliff assigned to Williamsport Crosscutters.

6/27:
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released CF Matt Szczur.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs released RHP Drew Storen.

6/28:
Philadelphia Phillies invited non-roster RHP Connor Seabold to spring training.

[andyb]

Not much in the last couple of months. Barria is a 17-year-old SS from Panama. Nothing to indicate a high dollar signing but it sometimes takes a bit longer in the smaller countries to complete the small deals. Zuniga is from Mexico. The more complicated Mexican signing rules might have delayed things a bit there.

The DSL might end up being our only official minor league action this year potentially if everything else is a complex league. I wonder if they might even contemplate sending some GCL-level players back there for an extra year.

[zambonir]

If they are capping major league spring training at 50 players (even if held in the major league park) I wonder what the cap will be at the complex. And will the rules (such as not being able to dress or shower on-site) be similar? I gotta think it's still possible that there are just workouts and intra-sqad/simulated games, and that's it.

A lot of the staff in Clearwater would also be more at-risk compared to the major league dugout. Roly is 68 years old. Ray Burris is 69. Of course they will be able to use anyone from the minors in their place, since they won't be in Allentown or Reading etc.

[Squire]

Apparently teams around the league are releasing minor leaguers today. Passan said expect 1,000 minor leaguers to be released in the coming days which would be 33-34 per team.

[zambonir]

I was just posting that in the "apocalypse thread."

[andyb]

This is going to be every 24 year old in Williamsport or Lakewood last year. Probably 10 older Latino players. And a few more from each upper level roster.

[andyb]

TJ Rivera the first cut that has leaked.
https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1266445798381944844

It is possible this will not be that bad if it just combines the veterans they signed for Spring Training (that might have played a role in the upper minors like Rivera) with the minor leaguers that always get released after minor league Spring Training. 30-40 players per team seems a bit high, but it is likely in the 20s most years in those categories.

[zambonir]

Yeah, it is understandable that no one wants to give MLB the benefit of the doubt, but all these guys actually were getting paid through the end of this month, and in normal times many of them would have been released between spring training and after the draft. The difference/problem is that in the past many of them still would have found another minor league gig. And of course these jobs aren't coming back next year.

I don't know that I believe it's a good idea or will end being safe but the door is certainly open for indie ball to create something new, immediately. Texas is allowing sports at 25% capacity. Montana is going to allow events of 250-1000 (which is most of the baseball teams there) and even over 1000. All require specific approved health plans. From what I've read there's nothing stopping the affiliated leagues/teams from participating in something if when affiliated minor league ball is officially cancelled (and if you're a team on the chopping block, all the more reason to get started now).

[Squire]

Jay Floyd says that about 2 dozen players were notified of their release yesterday. He has some names but his site is now a pay site so I don't know them. The 2 dozen is not more than the Phillies would normally release at the end of a non-pandemic Spring Training IMO.

[andyb]

Good for the organization if they kept it to a typical number of Spring releases. The older AAAA types like Rivera have no place to play this year so are understandable.

I do wonder what this year will do with rule 5 eligibility. Does the year count or will teams get a pass for another year? Rule 5 candidates for next year won't be released now, but next offseason could be a mess.

Also thinking about the DSL a bit. Cases in the Dominican are declining. The season was supposed to start around now. It will not start immediately of course, but one has to think that it might be possible for MLB to pull off complex league games, especially in the DSL where teams are usually clustered within a short drive of everyone else in their division.

[zambonir]

Sounds like the Rule 5 thing has to be negotiated/determined (I would think the MLBPA does get a say in that, since it affects the overall service time rules/pay). Seems like it might be an easy bone for MLB teams to throw its minor leaguers, give them the same deal the major leaguers are getting even though they're not actually getting to play in games (but some of them might make the taxi squad or end up in organized workouts if that happens).

[Squire]

Salisbury says that 27 players were released and most notable (notable to Jim at least) were LHP Brandon Liebrandt and LHP Aaron Brown.

[allentown]

If those are the most consequential releases, then they are of no importance. Brown is 28, a relief pitcher, never got past AA, and hasn't been able to get his walk rate under control, consistently pitching against much younger hitters. He does have a nice K rate, but that's it. Leibrandt injured all last season and very possibly not healthy now. He had a very good AAA in 2018, but this would be his age 27 season.

[Squire]

I don't necessarily assume that what Salisbury believes to be the most significant ones to be that. Liebrandt and Brown are two guys that he's heard of

[andyb]

Leibrandt had TJ surgery. Not a great break for him as he really would need to be on the field to show he was worthy of a roster spot even at AA or AAA. It probably does not change his circumstances that much. Someone will give him a shot next year if healthy and his stuff is at least where he was pre-TJ.

[zambonir]

I'll admit I don't know any of these guys any better than Salisbury, except from when some of y'all post about them

Phillies Release 20+ Players

[julio]

The minor league web sites now list 25 releases occurring on May 29th. See the top post in this thread for the list.

Salisbury reported 27 releases - I note that, as of now, the NY-Penn League transactions page doesn't show any releases from the Wiliamsport roster. It may just be that the data entry people didn't get them all done today, and a couple more will appear tomorrow? We'll see.

[andyb]

Most of those players are non-prospects. A few are somewhat interesting. Carlos Bustamante was the closer of the year that they signed out of the Mexican Winter League. He might as well see if there is a Mexican League season this year since there will be no U.S. opportunities. He was the one that struck out Bohm in the Olympic qualifying.

Hunter Stovall was the infielder we got for James Pazos last year. Never hit as well for us as he did for Colorado. Jordan McArdle was one of the two Aussies we signed after this year's winter league.

And Juan Mendez had that great offensive year for a catcher in 2017 in the DSL. Then got hurt and missed all of 2018 and was not as good in 2019 as he had been pre-injury. I still had hopes for his bat, but if he missed this year he would have been 22 next year not having played in a level higher than the DSL.

[julio]

One additional release now showing on the minor league transactions pages - this one also dated 5/29: Clearwater Threshers released C Gabriel Ojeda.

That makes 26 of the 27 total that Salisbury reported.

Baseball America is reporting the same 26 releases.

[RTaylor]

The handful of minor league players I've known personally left baseball on their own. They figured out that they probably weren't going to have big league careers, and when other opportunities (including getting married) presented themselves, they retired. I wonder how much of that has happened already this year--maybe not yet reported.