Twins release Rich Harden

Rich Harden requested and was granted his official release from the Twins organization. The right-hander had been continuing to rehab his surgically-repaired right shoulder, attempting yet another comeback. As Mike Berardino points out, Harden had an out clause in his contract with which he could request his release if he wasn’t on the Major League roster by July 31. It was obvious that was not going to happen with just a few days to spare.

More, via Darren Wolfson:

Lowdown on Rich Harden, who asked to be let go: won’t pitch again in 2013. Does want to pitch in 2014. Told #MNTwins treated him very well.

— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) July 28, 2013

Harden has not pitched at any level since September 2011 when he was with the Athletics. He made his 2011 debut on July 1, and in his 15 starts until the end of the season, he posted a 5.12 ERA. He will be 32 years old when the 2014 season begins.

The Orioles have inked shortstop Alcides Escobar to a minor league contract, MLB.com’s Joe Trezza reported Saturday. The deal comes with an invitation to spring training and will allow Escobar to earn $700,000 in the majors if he breaks camp with the team (via Jon Heyman of MLB Network). The team has yet to formally announce the agreement.

Escobar, 32, completed an eight-year run with the Royals in 2018. No longer the .280-average, 3.0-fWAR player of seasons past, he hit several career lows after batting .231/.279/.313 with four home runs, eight stolen bases (in 10 chances), and a .593 OPS through 531 plate appearances last year. His defensive ratings also took a hit, and FanGraphs pegged him as the fourth-worst shortstop in the majors after he accumulated -12 DRS over the course of the season, only slightly higher than the Orioles/Dodgers’ Manny Machado, Mets’ Amed Rosario, and Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts.

Still, Heyman holds that Escobar is being considered for the starting gig this spring and could yet prove an upgrade over top prospects and infield candidates Richie Martin and Drew Jackson. At the very least, the veteran shortstop figures to stabilize the position given Martin and Jackson’s relative inexperience, as both infielders played to varying results in Double-A Tulsa last year and have yet to break into the majors. Should either player earn consideration for the position in camp, however, Escobar might still work his way onto the Opening Day roster in a utility role as he saw some time at third base, second base, and center field in 2018.