Athletics sign veteran catcher Herrmann to 1-year contract
White Sox acquire RHP Nova
NEW YORK, Dec 12, (RTRS): The Oakland Athletics have signed veteran catcher Chris Herrmann to a one-year contract, the team announced. Herrmann, 31, is expected to compete with returning catcher Josh Phegley in a backup role, although the team has not acquired a starter. Last year’s primary catcher, Jonathan Lucroy, is a free agent.
In 340 games over seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, Herrmann has a career batting average of .205, 24 home runs and 95 RBIs. He appeared in 106 games for Arizona in 2017, hitting .181 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs.
Herrmann
The Chicago White Sox acquired veteran right-hander Ivan Nova from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Yordi Rosario and international bonus pool money on Tuesday.
Nova went 9-9 with a 4.19 ERA for the Pirates last season and carries a 78-64 overall record over nine seasons, a career that started with the New York Yankees. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was the Pirates’ Opening Day starter in 2018.
Nova bolsters a rotation that lost free agent James Shields but features young starting pitchers in Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh reached an agreement with right-hander Jordan Lyles pending a physical, Francred’s Jon Heyman reported.
The Toronto Blue Jays released five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki on Tuesday, making the shortstop a free agent.
Tulowitzki, 34, had two years and $38 million guaranteed remaining on his contract with the Blue Jays, a sum the club still owes the infielder.
He had four injury-plagued seasons with the Blue Jays, including missing the entire 2018 season with bone spurs in both heels. He played in 131 games for the Blue Jays in 2016, batting .254 with 24 home runs.
Veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen is returning to Pennsylvania, reportedly reaching a threeyear, $50 million agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Athletic first reported the signing, citing sources who said the acquisition does not mean the Phillies are dropping out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes.
The Chicago White Sox acquired veteran right-hander Ivan Nova from the Pirates for minor league pitcher Yordi Rosario and $500,000 in international bonus pool money. Nova, 31, has one year remaining on his current three-year $26 million deal and is owed $9.1 million in 2019.
Nova went 9-9 with a 4.19 ERA for the Pirates last season and carries a 78-64 overall record over nine seasons, a career that started with the Yankees. The 6-foot-5 righthander was the Pirates’ Opening Day starter in 2018.
The Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Billy Hamilton to a oneyear contract with a mutual option for the 2020 season, the team announced. Details were not disclosed.
Hamilton, 28, had been with Cincinnati since the Reds drafted him in the second round in 2009.
He batted just .236 in 2018 but finished second in the National League in stolen bases (34) and tied for second in triples (nine). He played in a career-high 153 games and tied for the major league lead with 12 outfield assists.
The owner of the Tampa Bay Rays says plans to build a new ballpark in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood are dead, meaning the team likely will remain at Tropicana Field through 2027.
Speaking at baseball’s winter meetings in Las Vegas, Stuart Sternberg said the proposed $892 million stadium that was to open in 2023 is no longer viable because of a lack of progress. The city of St Petersburg, Florida, had given the Rays a three-year window to negotiate a deal for a new stadium, but Sternberg conceded that it won’t happen before the Dec 31 deadline.
Free agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino said in an interview that Babe Ruth would hit “.140” in today’s game and that he “would strike Babe Ruth out every time.”
The 33-year-old right-hander told Mike Petriello, host of the MLB. com Statcast podcast, that Ruth’s game wouldn’t translate well.
“I’m not trying to disrespect him, you know, rest in peace, you know, shout out to Babe Ruth. But it was a different game, I mean the guy ate hot dogs and drank beer and did whatever he did. It was just a different game,” Ottavino said.