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Big-Z signs with Ducks
After a month of waiting around and hoping a big-league club would sign him to any kind of deal, Carlos Zambrano has decided to sign a contract with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, reports Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
It's rather amazing that no MLB team was willing to take even the slightest chance on Big-Z even though he's still just 31 and isn't coming off that bad of a season. His numbers from last year -- 4.49 ERA, 5.1 BB/9, 6.5 K/9 in 132⅓ innings -- are not great by any means, but are no worse than the numbers of some other players still in big-league starting rotations.
His bad clubhouse reputation obviously precedes him and has kept all 30 clubs from taking a flyer on even a minor-league contract, which is pretty unheard of so far as I can tell. Guys like Milton Bradley and Jose Guillen got opportunities with several teams before they were finally cast out for good. If Zambrano can pitch somewhat well for the Ducks, I expect him to land a new deal by the All-Star break.
Orioles acquire Wood
The Baltimore Orioles have acquired infielder Brandon Wood from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN. The 28-year-old's fall from top prospect to minor-league depth has been a rough one to watch, but here we are.
Once thought to be the Angels' third baseman of the future, Wood failed right out of the gate in 2007 and was never able to make that final adjustment to big-league pitching. Over the last two-plus seasons, Wood has bounced around to the Pirates, Rockies, Royals, and now the O's, but hasn't played in a big-league game since 2011.
A career .186/.225/.289 hitter in 751 PAs, it seems highly unlikely that Wood will make his way out of Triple-A Norfolk anytime soon.
Braves sign Boggs
The Atlanta Braves have inked outfielder Brandon Boggs to a minor-league deal on Monday and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett. The former Rangers and Brewers outfielder was released by the Minnesota Twins on Sunday and snatched up by the Braves on the next day.
Given the depth that Atlanta has in the outfielder, there's not much of a chance the 30-year-old switch-hitter will make it back to the big leagues, but stranger things have happened. Boggs has played in parts of four big-league seasons, but has appeared in just 29 games since 2009, and none since 2011. He is a .209/.315/.380 hitter with 10 home runs in 382 career plate appearances.
