[Biggp07]

Since we have a brief hiatus between series, and this next one is a road trip to Cleveland, I've made some decisions regarding rosters and minor league transactions. I made them because I don’t think we’re going to the playoffs this year, unless we sneak in as a wildcard. Way back when I started, the owner said he just expected us to play close to .500 ball, which we are, so that’s what I’m planning on. We also have the draft coming up, and our MiLB rosters are all near their limits except for our ACL Rookie club, which has unlimited roster space. Though I like to keep it culled of sandbaggers and sustain a good prospect development through-put, so most players won’t spend more than 2 years there. The Triple and Double A leagues have room for 28, High-A clubs can hold up to 32 on their roster, ACL is unlimited, as I said, and the DSL teams can have up to 35 players on their rosters. I think this is a good, manageable flow and “forces” me to make critical decisions to balance roster space and prospect development. There is a plethora of ways that other GMs may run their organization; this is just what I do.

So, my first moves are focused on clearing some secondary roster space to make room for a few minor leaguers we want to bring up for a cup of coffee and shed some free agent and arbitration salary before the off-season. I think it’s better to do it now than later as we pass 60 games into the season. That was plenty of time for the active roster starters to show their worth and earn their paycheck. Breaking down what I’ve done so far, this may not be the final moves I make, though.

• We acquired 32-year-old LHP Brennan Bernardino from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for 32-year-old RF Hunter Renfroe. To date, Renfroe has chalked up a .212 average with 6 home runs, driven in 15 runs, and scored 22 times. For the year, Bernardino has collected no saves in 29 relief appearances. He has also rung up 44 strikeouts and walked 23 in 41.1 innings while registering a 2.83 ERA and a 1-1 won-lost mark.



The trade speaks for itself; this was a salary dump, plain and simple, and we are back in the black for our budget expenses. We were on the hook to pay Renfroe $7.5 million next year while he’s earning $5.5 million this year. Renfroe’s stat line has been horrible so far this year, and his limited position play, being only RF, means we couldn’t move him anywhere else. Additionally, we have Nelson Velázquez primed to play in Omaha, with an option year remaining and some outfield versatility.




RP Brennan Bernadino provides us with much-needed bullpen depth, and we essentially got him for nothing. He’s also got some control years left, so I think we made a good trade.

• We placed 2B Adam Frazier and CF Garrett Hampson available on the trading block.

• 2B Mike Brosseau and C Juan Centeno have been placed on DFA waivers and may be outright released if not picked up by another team. It’s a small hit to the pocketbook that trumps keeping them any longer, taking up roster space.

I learned that Utility player Austin Nola has been sitting on the IL most of this season until recently, and that he can play a decent catcher backfill to Salvy besides MJ Melendez. MJ is not even ready to play that position right now, even as a backup, so I am super happy to know Austin Nola will be able to replace Juan Centeno without any trouble.

• Revised some minor league player strategies and positions to better fit current roster needs.

I'll let these marinate for a few days as we begin our 3-game road trip to Cleveland, and we don't get a break until June 17th, with a series of games against Seattle, New York Yankees, and another away series against the L A Dodgers. Our work is cut out for us.