Reviewing Baseball 1/6/15

Our thoughts this morning are with the Attanasio family in the wake of the passing of Joe Attanasio, father of Brewers’ owner Mark. Joe was 89, and had sung the National Anthem at the previous 10 Opening Day games at Miller Park (during which the Brewers went 7-3). You can read his obituary by Tom Haudricourt here.

Several teams around baseball have been busy, including the Brewers:

Yesterday the Brewers announced the signing of Nevin Ashley to a minor league contract. You can read our story on the signing here.

The White Sox have reportedly signed utility man Emilio Bonifacio to a one year deal with an option for 2016. We at the site also liked Bonifacio, and I recently profiled him as a fit for the Brewers. It appears the Brewers are content with Elian Herrera as their utility man.

The Phillies have announced the signing of Aaron Harang to a one year contract. The 36 year old had a solid season for Atlanta last year, soaking up 204.1 innnings with a 3.57 ERA.

The Mets announced they have resigned lefty Buddy Carlyle to a minor league contract that includes a Spring Training invite. Carlyle posted a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings for New York last season, his first in the majors since 2011.

The Rangers have reportedly re-signed Adam Rosales to a one year contract. The 31 year old is known for his defensive versatility, having logged at least 453.1 innings at every infield position over his career. The right handed hitter managed an OPS+ of 99 last season, although that was much higher than his career rating of 74 over 1101 plate appearances. The Rangers also announced the signing of Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez) to a minor league contract, and they have designated 26 year old right hander Matt West for assignment.

The Rockies have designated 28 year old righty Chris Martin for assignment in order to make room for Nick Hundley, the team announced yesterday. Martin reached the majors briefly last season, despite not beginning his professional career until age 24, when he pitched for the independent Grand Prairie AirHogs.

Around Milwaukee:

Jason Beck of mlb.com looks at the Hall of Fame candidacy of former Brewer Gary Sheffield.

The Brewer Nation updates us on the newest Brewers’ jersey numbers.

Kurtis Hardy at Dairyland Express speculates that the Brewers offseason is already over.

Around the Site:

In addition to our article on the Nevin Ashley signing, we also discussed why Rickie Weeks is hurting his free agent value.

Countdowns:

Pitchers and Catchers Report: 45 days

First Spring Training Game: 57 days

Opening Day: 90 days

Happy Befana Day, Italy!