Some Interesting Minor League Signings on Thursday

Now that Spring Training has started and Opening Day is just around the corner, agents are scrambling trying to find a home for their clients. If they can’t find a major league deal for their client, a lot of agents will suggest taking a minor league deal.

After all, a minor league deal and an invitation to Spring Training is better than no deal at all.

On Thursday, we saw a couple of minor league deals that involved some known players.

Here is a recap:

Mike MacDougal Signs With the Florida Marlins

The minor league deal is worth $700,000 if MacDougal makes the team and he can earn an additional $75,000 in incentives. Its been a bumpy road for MacDougal over the last 12 months.

He was cut by the Chicago White Sox at the beginning of last season, signed with the Washington Nationals and became their closer, and then was non-tendered a contract after the season. MacDougal enjoyed his most success with the Nationals.

With Washington, MacDougal racked up 20 saves and had a 3.60 ERA in 50 innings of work. However, he is a manager’s worst nightmare late in the game. Nothing is ever easy with him as his one-to-one strike out to walk ratio indicates. Every time he pitches, it seems like there are runners on base.

With the Marlins bullpen looking like a weakness heading into the season, MacDougal has a good chance of making their Opening Day roster. If he does, expect him to be a set-up man to closer Leo Nunez.

Los Angeles Dodgers Sign Eric Gagne

The Dodgers signed Gagne to a minor league deal worth $500,000 if he makes the team. He can also make an additional $500,000 in incentives based on games and games finished.

The 34-year-old last pitched in the major leagues during the 2008 season with the Milwaukee Brewers. He had a 5.71 ERA that year and really wasn’t that good. Quite frankly, he hasn’t been effective since leaving the Texas Rangers in the summer of 2007.

I had the displeasure of watching Gagne on a regular basis with the Boston Red Sox and he was hard to watch. His command was pitiful and he went from being a set-up man to Jonathan Papelbon to barely having a spot on the postseason roster.

If he came into a game with the Red Sox it was because of any of these three scenarios:

A. The Red Sox were out of pitchers to use.

B. The Red Sox were up by 10 runs in the eighth inning.

C. The Red Sox were down by 10 runs in the eighth inning.

Gagne is hoping to get another shot at big league success with the team he had the most success on–the Dodgers. Albeit he was on steroids at the time, but he did win a Cy Young with the Dodgers in 2003 and had another impressive year with them in 2004.

I highly doubt that Gagne has anything left in the tank. But if any stadium can help a pitcher’s career it’s Dodger Stadium. I mean if Vicente Padilla can enjoy success there, why can’t Gagne?

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @theghostofmlg .