D-backs claim Alex Sanabia off waivers from Marlins

Sanabia, 25, was 3-7 with a 4.88 ERA (30 ER in 55.1 IP) in ten starts with the Marlins this season. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 27 with a strained right groin and missed the remainder of the season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander went 8-10 with a 4.15 ERA (64 ER in 138.2 IP) in 28 games (24 starts) over a total of seasons with the Marlins (2010-11, '13). Sanabia also was 31-30 with a 3.91 ERA (224 ER in 515.0 IP) in 107 games (95 starts) in the Marlins' farm system. Sanabia was originally selected by the Marlins in the 32nd round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. The D-backs 40-man roster is now at 39.

Sanabia was probably most (in)famous for an incident earlier this year when he threw a pretty blatant spitball, claiming later that he didn't know it was illegal: "I didn't know. I was in my zone and just grooving... I don't know what they expect from spitting on it," Sanabia said. "My intention wasn't to be like `Let's get more movement.' My intention was I need more grip." MLB did not assess any penalty against Sanabia for his action.

He's on Twitter, if you want to add him to your roster of D-backs players. Seems like he'll be pitching depth at Reno next season: given he is a fly-ball oriented pitcher with mediocre strikeout rates, it doesn't seem likely he'll be challenging for a roster spot come spring. It's a little odd that a sore groin resulted in him missing more than four months - he wasn't even back in the minor leagues by the end of the year. But apart from news that he was transferred to the 60-day list in late July, there was hardly any information. It does appear to be something of a chronic condition, Sanabia saying in May that he'd had groin problems twice before.