Transaction Analysis: The Claims Department

OAKLAND ATHLETICS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Claimed 1B/OF-L Andrew Lambo off waivers from the Pirates. [11/6]

Is there any such thing as a predictable waiver claim, because the A's decision to pluck Lambo felt inevitable. Lambo has good size and strength, along with enough strike-zone judgment to put those qualities to use during games. He's encountered various developmental pratfalls—including off-the-field issues earlier in his career and injury-related woes that culminated in him missing most of 2015 due to plantar fasciitis—but the makings are here for a nifty platoon bat who can play first base and the outfield corners. Lambo also has options remaining, so while he's unlikely to become the next Brandon Moss, he should at minimum serve as a solid depth piece.

SEATTLE MARINERS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Claimed OF-R Daniel Robertson off waivers from the Angels. [11/6]

You get the sense that Jerry Dipoto liked everybody in the Angels organization except Mike Scioscia. Dipoto's latest extrication from the celestial realm is Robertson, a toenail clipper-size outfielder who he acquired around this time last year from the Rangers. The most interesting thing about Robertson is that he serves as the worst-case scenario for Herschel Powell, another recent Dipoto addition: Robertson is dependent on walks and singles, yet doesn't get enough of either at the big-league level to be more than an up-and-down type. (Oh, and Robertson is right-handed—see, he's the absolute worst-case scenario for the lefty Powell.) It's too early for 25-man roster projections, but you stand a chance of being correct if you peg him as a reserve candidate.

CHICAGO CUBS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Claimed RHP Ryan Cook off waivers from the Red Sox. [11/6]

In less than a year Cook went from master-chef standing to the first contestant chopped. He barely saw big-league duty in 2015, and when he did the results were ugly: 8 2/3 innings, 20 hits, 19 runs, seven walks, and four home runs—including three yielded to Stephen Drew, Mike Zunino, and Austin Jackson that put the quietus on his forgetful Red Sox career. The Cubs have gained a reputation for turning recycle-bin arms into contributors, and Cook's power fastball-slider combo gives them something to work with. He probably won't regain his old form, but he's worth sampling.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Claimed RHP Dan Otero off waivers from the Athletics. [11/3]

The first official acquisition for executive parvenu Matt Klentak. Get hyped, Philly.

Otero fell to bits in 2015 after piecing together consecutive solid efforts for the A's. In addition to losing eight percentage points off his ground-ball rate, he allowed seven home runs—or three more than he had in the preceding two seasons combined. Many of those homers came on pitches down in the zone, which, when combined with the note about his ground-ball percentage, should make you ask: did his pitches lose bite? The answer is yes, according to Brooks Baseball. Whether the Phillies and pitching coach Bob McClure can provide Otero with dentures is anyone's guess. Given the low stakes, it's a worthwhile gamble regardless.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Claimed RHP Guido Knudson off waivers from the Tigers. [11/9]

One of the best names in the sport belongs to a pitcher whose initial big-league exposure went horribly. Knudson pitched five innings last season for the Tigers, in which he allowed five home runs. Between that and the fact that the Tigers of all teams deemed him expendable, you might wonder just what the Pirates have up their sleeves. Probably nothing; rather, the odds are that the Pirates view Knudson for what he is: a little righty with a decent fastball and slider and multiple option years remaining. There's nothing special about the profile, but every team needs an arm or two who can fill in should push come to subtweet. Knudson can do that—and who knows, maybe Ray Searage does see something we don't.