Miami Palms Blog

Carlos Ruiz inked a minor league deal with the New York Yankees today, which puts the Palms in a bind. Ruiz is clearly in the tail end of an illustrious career, however he was also the second catcher to leave the team this offseason, with no obvious replacements in the minors. Ruiz was a stalwart for Miami since 2013, coming along with Brett Hayes. Ruiz was a star and the starter until Hayes was able to match and overtake Ruiz's performance, particularly late in their careers.  He was a big acquisition, and was a large reason the Palms were able to develop pitchers and make deep runs in the playoffs in the last several years, and will be missed. Not just because of the roster hole he leaves.

 The Palms have already added a couple of arms to their pen, so options had dried up for a couple of the old guard. Archie Bradley has found a home in the American League Central after two seasons in Miami. He had struggled in his first season as a starter, but found his footing in the bullpen, where he will serve a similar role in Chicago, with the White Sox. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.