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The Royals did some 40-man roster shuffling today, claiming two players off waviers - catcher Brett Hayes from the Marlins and right-handed pitcher Guillermo Moscoso from the Rockies. To make room on the 40 man roster, the team lost reliever Blake Wood off waivers to the Cleveland Indians. The Royals also designated for assignment right-handed pitcher Jeremy Jeffress, left-hander Tommy Hottovy and outfielder Jason Bourgeois.
Brett Hayes is a twenty-eight year old right-handed hitting catcher from the Marlins organization. He has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues, hitting .202/.229/.254 last year in 118 plate appearances. He hit better in 2011 as the primary backup, hitting .231/.294/.405 in 130 plate appearances. He has never hit much in the minor leagues ever and appears to be a glove man, although he has only thrown out 26% of would-be base-stealers at the Major League level.
Guillermo Moscoso will turn twenty-nine years old in a few weeks, and has bounced around quite a bit in his short Major League career. Originally signed by the Tigers out of Venezuela, he was dealt to Texas in the Gerald Laird deal. After a few cups of coffee in Texas, Moscoso was sent to Oakland for minor leaguer Ryan Kelly and posted a terrific 2011 season. That year he was 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 21 starts, although he had just 5.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Last winter, the A's shipped Moscoso and pitcher Josh Outman to the pitching-starved Rockies for Seth Smith, and Moscoso stumbled badly with a 6.02 ERA, making just three starts and twenty-three appearances overall.
Moscoso throws in the high-80s, breaking 90 on occasion, with a mediocre slider and changeup. He's an extreme flyball pitcher, so its no surprise he thrived in Oakland and stumbled in Colorado.
Blake Wood is a twenty-seven year old right-handed reliever, originally a third round pick by the Royals back in 2006. He was quite useful in 2011, posting a 3.75 ERA in 55 relief appearances, striking out 8 per nine innings. He missed all of 2012 after Tommy John surgery. Wood is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter.
The Royals also activated pitchers Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy from the 60-day disabled list as a procedural move (you cannot be disabled if there are no games being played). These moves put the Royals at the maximum for the 40-man roster.