He was rated the No.64 prospect in the game by Baseball America and No.74 by MLB.com heading into the 2016 campaign. Oritz was promoted to AA Frisco this year, and was 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA for the Roughriders in 7 starts.
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“We would like to thank Jonathan for his seven years of not only All-Star play on the field, but for the leadership and dedication that he and his wife, Sarah, displayed throughout the community”. Past that, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress is also headed to the Rangers. The Brewers then acquired catcher Andrew Susac and right-hander Phil Bickford. Cleveland was among eight teams on Lucroy’s no-trade list and he was concerned about playing time next season with the Indians. In 95 games with the Brewers this season, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette product has slashed 0.299/0.359/0.482 with 13 home runs and 50 runs batted in, earning his second All-Star nod. Jeffress, too, will be cheap, having not hit arbitration yet, and he has proven capable of pitching late innings this season, with a high-90s sinker that has helped him notch 27 saves and a 2.22 ERA.
I have to start with the big one of the day in Jonathan Lucroy.
There were rumors of Lucroy being traded all weekend, with the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers posing as potential landing spots for the catcher after he exercised his no-trade clause to avoid being traded to the Cleveland Indians.
At least the Brewers waited until after last Saturday’s “90s Night” at Miller Park to deal the back-end bullpen duo. Rated as the No.16 prospect by both MLB.com and Baseball America prior to 2016, Brinson has struggled with the bat at Double-A, slashing 0.237/0.280/0.431 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 77 games. However, overall I think Texas should only get an average grade for their trades with the acquisition of Lucroy the best move of the three. With a 92-97 miles per hour fastball and a plus slider, he could be a front-of-the-rotation starter if he continues to advance. Losing three of the their top five prospects certainly hurts, but they managed to keep Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo.
The Rangers have acquired Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and RP Jeremy Jeffress, the club announced Monday. It always amuses me when people fire off knee jerk reactions to baseball trades like these minutes after they happen. The 36-year-old Hill is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 14 starts and 76 innings.
Tate was the consolation prize for the Rangers’ bad 2014 season, a season that – until the final weeks – had the Rangers in position to make the #1 overall pick in the draft.
Ortiz also was with Frisco this season and was 1-4 with a 4.08 ERA in nine games. At the time of the deal they were the second and third rated prospects in Texas’ system. He’s owed what’s left of his $4 million contract this season, and he has a $5.25 million club option that will certainly be exercised barring a catastrophic injury.
Puig has been physically limited and largely inconsistent even when healthy this season, batting.260 with seven homers in 81 games. Some candidates for waiver trades include relievers Carlos Torres and Blaine Boyer, starter Junior Guerra and first baseman Chris Carter.
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Overall, these deals are canny and impressive, and should pan out well for all teams involved.
