Minor moves: Vinny Rottino, Thomas Neal, Jerad Head

Three former Cleveland Indians signed deals with new clubs over the weekend, two inking minor-league deals and one taking his services across the Pacific to Japan.

Here are the moves that fell through the cracks over the weekend:

• Former Brewers, Mets, Indians' utility man Vinny Rottino has signed a one-year, $350,000 contract with the NPB's Orix Buffaloes in Kobe, Japan, reports Peter Jackel of the Journal Times. The deal also includes up to $150k in performance incentives for Rottino. The 32-year-old has five major-league seasons under his belt, but never made more than 10 appearances in any one season until last year when he played in 36 games between the Mets and Indians. Rottino always hit well in the minors, but never adjusted to big-league pitching, hitting just .165/.241/.299 with three home runs in 110 major-league plate appearances.
• The New York Yankees signed outfielder Thomas Neal to a minor-league deal, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America, giving the club three righty-hitting options to complement their all left-handed swinging outfield. The 25-year-old Neal, who was released by Cleveland two weeks ago, will be in competition with former Indians teammate Russ Canzler and veteran Matt Diaz for the club's fourth outfielder spot.
• The Washington Nationals signed outfielder Jerad Head to a minor-league deal, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Head, 30, made his sole appearance in the big leagues in 2011, playing in 10 games with the Indians and hitting just .125/.160/.167 in 25 plate appearances. Head spent the 2012 season with the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A club, batting .268/.353/.451 with 12 homers in 85 games.