Stephen Piscotty of the Oakland Athletics bats during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at RingCentral Coliseum on August 8, 2022 in Oakland, California. Piscotty has signed a minor league deal with the Athletics for 2024. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
By Conor Liguori
World Baseball Network
OF Stephen Piscotty Signs Minor League Deal With Oakland Athletics – Outfielder Stephen Piscotty will return to the Athletics’ organization after spending the 2023 season with the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
Piscotty has eight years of MLB experience with the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics, hitting .255 with 93 home runs in 726 career games. In all likelihood, Piscotty will receive an invite to spring training, but will have to outplay younger outfielders like Seth Brown and Miguel Andujar to earn a roster spot on the big league club.
Los Angeles Angels Sign LHP Drew Pomeranz to MiLB Deal – Pomeranz, 35, has not appeared in an MLB game since 2021 with the San Diego Padres and has had two surgeries involving his left elbow since.
While with the Padres in 2021, Pomeranz underwent surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow and experienced a setback in 2022, forcing him to miss the entire season. The starting-pitcher-turned-reliever enters Angels camp as a non-roster invitee and owns a career 3.91 ERA and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 289 games.
Washington Nationals Take a Flier on OF Jesse Winker – Jesse Winker has signed a minor league deal with the Nationals with an invite to spring training. Winker, 30, struggled mightily in 61 games with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, posting a .567 OPS and hitting one home run in 197 plate appearances. However, he hit .301 with 25 walks and 15 strikeouts in 27 games between Triple-A Nashville and High-A Wisconsin.
Once a power threat with the Cincinnati Reds from 2017-21, Winker is just three years removed from being a National League All-Star in 2021. He could crack Washington’s opening day roster as a designated hitter or in a bench role.
OF Jason Martin Returns From Korea to Sign With Angels – Martin, 28, played with the KBO’s NC Dinos during the 2023 season, hitting 17 home runs with 90 RBI in 118 games.
He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019, but only appeared in a combined 27 games with the club from 2019-20. Martin batted .208 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 58 games with the Texas Rangers in 2021.
Due to the unfortunate frequency of injuries to players like Mike Trout and Taylor Ward, Martin could help the Halos as a minor-league depth piece during the dog days of summer.
RHP Luis Perdomo Agrees to Minor League Contract with Washington Nationals – Right-handed relief pitcher Luis Perdomo will return to the United States after spending the 2023 Nippon Professional Baseball season with the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Perdomo has experienced better international success than in MLB, posting a 2.13 ERA in 53 games for the Marines and a 0.00 ERA in 14 games for the Gigantes del Cibao during the 2022-23 Liga de Beisbol Profesional de la Republica Dominicana season.
He has played six seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers from 2016-20 and underwent Tommy John surgery towards the end of the 2020 season. Perdomo’s pact with the Nationals includes an invite to spring training.
Former KBO Pitcher Adrian Sampson Signs Minor League Deal With Texas – After struggling to a 5.40 ERA in 25 starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2020, Sampson returned to minor league baseball with the Chicago Cubs in 2021 but has been inconsistent on the mound since.
The 32-year-old split the 2023 season between Triple-A Iowa and the Arizona Complex League with the ACL Cubs, posting an 11.25 ERA in 28 innings.
Sampson returns to the organization he played with for three seasons from 2017-19, appearing in 40 games at the major league level for the Texas Rangers. His most recent contract with the club includes an invite to major league spring training.