Transaction Analysis: More Like Awesome-Handed Pitcher

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Activated C-S Matt Wieters from the 60-day disabled list (Tommy John surgery); recalled UTL-S Rey Navarro from Triple-A Norfolk; selected the contract of LHP Cesar Cabral from Triple-A Norfolk; optioned RHP Mike Wright and C-L Steve Clevenger to Triple-A Norfolk; designated MIF-S Everth Cabrera for assignment. [6/5]

Wieters is the headliner here, but let's focus on three players Dan Duquette acquired during the winter.

Both Navarro and Cabral were signed as minor-league free-agents, and each has previous big-league experience. All Navarro has done throughout his minor-league career is hit, resulting in a lifetime ..299/.354/.413 mark at Triple-A. He'll need to continue to do so order to stick around, and he ought to see some time at second base in place of Ryan Flaherty. Cabral, meanwhile, figures to be more of a short-term fix. He's a big, beefy lefty with groundball-centric ways. He's had surprisingly good control during his stint in Norfolk, so that's a development worth watching.

Cabrera loses his spot to make room for Navarro. The ex-Padre is all but guaranteed to slip through waivers due to his performance the past two seasons, his uncomfortably long rap sheet, and his $2.4 million salary. When right, he's shown the ability to be a top-of-the-order presence and legitimate defensive shortstop. That combination doesn't grow on organizational trees often, so Cabrera will probably get a few more chances provided he stays out of trouble. For now, he'll serve as depth. —R.J. Anderson

CLEVELAND INDIANS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Optioned SS-S Jose Ramirez and 3B-L Lonnie Chisenhall to Triple-A Columbus; recalled 3B-R Giovanny Urshela and UTL-R Zach Walters from Triple-A Columbus. [6/7]

Urshela has been in the Cleveland system since 2008, and while he's been on anything but a fast track, he's gradually made improvements with the bat, enough so that Cleveland called up the Colombian infielder Sunday night.

At the plate, Urshela has strong wrists and above-average bat speed, but swinging at pitches outside the zone causes the tools to play down. He's a good bad-ball hitter thanks to his excellent hand-eye coordination and ability to get extension, so hitting for average isn't out of the question. He's also developed some strength and uses his lower half, though he can get a bit pull-happy and doesn't always look to drive pitches on the outer half into the gaps.

There's certainly offensive upside here, but where Urshela shines is with the glove. Several scouts I've spoken with believe that he's one of the best defenders in baseball at the position. He has outstanding reflexes, a plus-plus throwing arm and a flair for making the spectacular look easy. Maybe he's not Adrian Beltre or Manny Machado, but he's not far from that group.

The worst-case scenario is that Urshela becomes a right-handed Jack Hannahan, but if he can show a semblance of patience at the plate, he's a potential long-term regular at the position. —Christopher Crawford

OAKLAND ATHLETICS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Selected the contract of SHP Pat Venditte from Triple-A Nashville; optioned RHP Dan Otero to Triple-A Nashville; transferred OF-S Coco Crisp to the 60-day disabled list (cervical strain). [6/5]

A transaction anticipated since Venditte was drafted in 2008. But is there value here, or is Venditte a commemorative coin: front and center until the novelty wears thin, then used an occasional showpiece?

To stretch the analogy, scouts aren't enticed by Venditte's two-for-one offer. He doesn't throw hard, nor does he possess a knockout secondary offering; all the pressure rests on his ability to deceive and locate, which makes it tough to see him enjoying long-term success. His supporters will point to his minor-league statistics as evidence he can get the job done. Maybe, but there is no shortage of soft-tossing relievers with shiny statistical pasts who failed during their big-league chances. Succeeding, even for a season, in the majors is unthinkably difficult; there is no shame in falling short.

The better argument cites Venditte as an exception to the tried and true scouting rules. Think of him as one would a knuckleballer or submariner: We won't know if his act works against big-league hitters until it does or does not. Simplistic? Sure. True? Probably.

You would think the A's would have enough experience and success with these oddball cases—be it Chad Bradford, Jim Mecir, or Pat Neshek—to appreciate and value an outlier like Venditte. And they did, to the extent of signing him during the winter. But the A's toggled through so many relievers before arriving on Venditte that you have to wonder if their depth chart is ordered alphabetically. (Good news is coming for Barry Zito if so.) Is that seeming reluctance to call upon Venditte a sign Billy Beane and company don't believe in his brand of funk, or is it a coincidence? Depends on the results. —R.J. Anderson

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Recalled LHP Robbie Ray from Triple-A Reno; placed RHP Archie Bradley on the 15-day disabled list (shoulder tendinitis). [6/4]

Ray spent the spring working on his slider and changeup, then reported to Reno, where he walked nearly six batters per nine innings over nine starts. You would anticipate his big-league appearances being slopfests, all but ensuring a quick return to Reno and perhaps a transition to relief; naturally, he's thrown 70 percent strikes and issued one free pass over two starts. Between his inclusion in the ill-fated Doug Fister trade and his subsequent struggles in Reno, it's easy to overlook that he won't turn 24 until October. Still, who knows what the future holds for someone this inconsistent. The Diamondbacks continue to hope Ray can piece it together and turn into a back-end starter. Seeing how he's a lefty with a mid-90s fastball, the only certainty is that this won't be his last chance. —R.J. Anderson

ATLANTA BRAVES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Activated ?-S Joey Terdoslavich from the 15-day disabled list (sprained wrist); designated UTL-S Eric Young Jr. for assignment. [6/5]

What is Terdoslavich? Folks have asked that for years. The answer is he's a Floridian—no, no, the real answer is a bench bat, probably. Terdoslavich's saga is straightforward: He doesn't have the athleticism to play an important defensive position, nor the bat to start in the corner outfield or at first base. (Being a year older than Freddie Freeman doesn't help, either.) So what else is there but to serve in a spare capacity, starting once or twice a week here and there, getting a plate appearance off the bench most nights. It's not a glamorous lifestyle, but as Terdoslavich nears his 27th birthday, it beats a fourth tour of Gwinnett.

Young's stays in the majors continue to get shorter and shorter. His time in Atlanta lasted 35 games, during which he went from the Opening Day lineup to starting twice since May 1st. Blame the descent on Cameron Maybin, or more justly on Young's lacking profile. Running fast has its uses, but it's hard to build a career off that and that alone. Perhaps another team will scoop Young up with eyes on using him as their designated pinch-runner during September and October. Otherwise, why bother? —R.J. Anderson

CINCINNATI REDS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Selected the contract of RHP Jon Moscot from Triple-A Louisville; designated RHP Jason Marquis for assignment. [6/5]

The Reds' 2012 fourth-round pick out of Pepperdine, Moscot has quietly but efficiently worked his way through each level of the Cincinnati system, and a strong start to his 2015 campaign earned him a chance to pitch at the backend of the rotation for the time being. The 6-foot-4 right-hander isn't overpowering, but he locates an 88-91 mph fastball with some downhill plane and sink. The slider and change are both average offerings as well, though like the fastball they play up because Moscot is able to locate them below the knees. He repeats his delivery well, and there are no discernible red flags in the arm action, either. The stuff isn't good enough to miss bats, so he'll need a quality defense behind him to be effective, and pitching in Great American Ballpark isn't exactly ideal. The upside is a no. 4 starter, with no. 5 or innings-eating swing-man a more likely landing spot. —Christopher Crawford