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Angels Receive St. Paddy's Gift
The Los Angeles Angels acquired minor-leaguer Michael Cisco from the Phillies yesterday and in return the Halos sent a whole lot of nothing, reports Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. Philadelphia allegedly has too much pitching depth in their high minors affiliates, so they gifted Cisco to Anaheim essentially to make room. Not sure if this sets any sort of precedent -- typically teams at least part with a bag of balls or something -- but it's definitely the strangest "trade" of the spring. Cisco, 25, posted a solid 1.80 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 75 innings between Double- and Triple-A last year, which makes you wonder why anyone would just give him up.
Olson Leaves A's, Looking Towards Korea
The Oakland Athletics granted left-hander Garrett Olson his outright release over the weekend so that he can pursue playing opportunities in South Korea, the team announced. Olson, 29, was in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and was a serious longshot to make the squad. The southpaw logged 283 innings for the Orioles and Mariners between 2007 and 2010 -- working out of both the rotation and bullpen -- but appeared in just five major-league games over the last two seasons, accruing just 4⅔ innings. If Olson can hook on with a Korea squad, he'll be the 10th MLB player to make the move for the upcoming season.
Giants Outright Big Man Petit
San Francisco outrighted hefty right-hander Yusmeiro Petit off of their 40-man roster on Sunday, reports Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. Petit, 28, appeared in just one game for the Giants in 2012, going 4⅔ against the Padres in a late-September start. The right-hander spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted an impressive 3.46 ERA, 8.6 K/9, and 1.9 BB/9 in 28 starts. Petit, who before 2012 last appeared in the majors in 2009, will decide Monday whether to accept his minor-league assignment or elect free agency.
Marlins Return Rule 5 Pick
The Miami Marlins have returned left-hander Braulio Lara to the Tampa Bay Rays, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Lara, 24, gave up two runs in four innings of work with the Marlins this spring, and was always thought to be a longshot to remain with the club. Lara posted a 5.71 ERA and 1.41 K/BB ratio in 112 innings at High-A ball for the Rays in 2012. Miami's other Rule 5 pick, outfielder Alfredo Silverio, is still with the club and is likely to begin the season on the disabled list.
Mariners Ink Dominican RHP
The Seattle Mariners have signed 19-year-old right-hander Jose Santiago for $205,000, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Standing at 6' 2", 185 pounds, the young Dominican regularly throws his fastball between 91-93 miles per hour, which is impressive enough before you learn that he converted to pitching from catcher less than a year ago. Santiago also has two off-speed offerings -- a three-quarters curve and a change-up -- though Badler writes that he's more of a fastball/breaking ball guy at the moment.
