Spring Training Cuts Fuel Triple-A Roster Moves Across Minor Leagues

The first wave of spring training cuts reshaped Triple-A rosters across four organizations between Feb. 25 and March 15, with the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants collectively generating dozens of signings, optional assignments, outrights and releases that will define Opening Day depth at the highest minor-league level.

Baseball America's transaction roundup, published March 17, captured the full scope of the roster churn. The report noted that early-to-mid-March cuts often involve 40-man roster players, with those transactions reflected as optional assignments to Triple-A. Baseball America cautioned that those assignments "are not necessarily final," leaving the door open for additional moves before rosters lock.

The Mariners led all four clubs in Triple-A volume, signing right-handers Brendan White and catchers Mitch Garver and Jacob Nottingham, along with second baseman Alejo Lopez, all at the Triple-A level. Seattle also optionally assigned right-handers Blas Castano and Domingo Gonzalez to Triple-A, while adding Nick Garcia at Double-A and Gabriel Sosa at High-A to fill out the system below. Garver and Nottingham, both experienced catchers with major-league résumés, give Seattle's Triple-A affiliate a formidable depth of options behind the plate heading into the season.

San Diego's transaction sheet carried one of the more prominent names in the group. The Padres signed outfielder Alex Verdugo to a Triple-A deal, adding the former Red Sox and Yankees outfielder as organizational depth. Garrett Hawkins received an optional assignment to Triple-A, while right-hander Daison Acosta and outfielder Tirso Ornelas were both outrighted to Triple-A, moves that removed them from San Diego's 40-man roster. The Padres also optionally assigned right-hander Miguel Mendez to Double-A and added Jeferson Ogando and Rafael Moran in the Dominican Summer League.

The Giants kept their Triple-A additions to a smaller but notable group. San Francisco signed right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. and left-hander Joey Lucchesi, both at the Triple-A level. Honeywell has shown flashes of front-line stuff across several injury-interrupted seasons, and Lucchesi brings a track record of major-league appearances that makes both signings potentially valuable depth pieces for the big-league club. The Giants also released left-hander Antonio Jimenez from Double-A.

Arizona's activity during the period reflected significant system-wide restructuring, with the Diamondbacks signing right-handers Juan Burgos and Joe Ross to Triple-A assignments while cutting ten pitchers across multiple levels. Ross, a veteran right-hander, adds upper-level depth to Arizona's staff. The releases covered a broad range of levels: Christian Montes De Oca at Triple-A, Dan Kubiuk and Jake Rice at Double-A, Vince Sanchez at the Rookie complex level, Victor Brea and Travis Garnett at Rookie ball, and four pitchers at the Dominican Summer League level. The Arizona transaction excerpt in the roundup was incomplete, suggesting additional moves from the Diamondbacks during the period.

Baseball America's roundup noted that the transactions were conveyed by Major League Baseball and that the file was designed to capture all moves involving players not on 40-man rosters, though the inclusion of optional assignments means some 40-man players also appear in the data. With Opening Day approaching, the roster picture at Triple-A remains fluid across all four organizations.