Feb 21, 2022 4 min read

The Washington Wild Things have made several roster moves, including signing a former major league pitcher.

Washington signed pitcher Adonis Rosa, first baseman Jamey Smart, outfielder Roberto Caro and made two trades.

Rosa is the second former big leaguer to sign a contract with the Wild Things. Rosa made his major-league debut with the New York Yankees in 2019, pitching two innings against the Baltimore Orioles. It’s the only major-league game of Rosa’s career.

“We’re very excited to add Adonis Rosa to our pitching staff. Any time you can get a guy who has reached the big-league level you have greatly improved your ball club,” said Wild Things manager Tom Vaeth. “He was kind of a Swiss Army knife guy with the Yankees that could pitch in any situation and was always incredibly durable. He … should be one of the top arms in our league.”

Rosa spent six seasons in the Yankees’ farm system from 2014 to 2019. In 2019, Rosa pitched in 13 games for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and 12 for Class AA Trenton. He had a 9-1 record that year with a 4.18 ERA over 25 games.

He pitched in the Mexican League in 2021.

Smart was acquired in October from the Southern Illinois Miners to complete a previous trade. Smart batted .509 with four doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI in 18 games with the Miners. Before his time in Southern Illinois, Smart played in two games for Sioux City in the American Association and 30 games with the Windy City ThunderBolts, where he hit .255.

“Jamey is a guy who I targeted once he arrived in Southern Illinois to complete the previous trades during last season. I actually had Jamey to start his career in Winnipeg for a brief time and was impressed with his work ethic while spending time with him in the batting cage,” said Vaeth. “He’s always been the type of guy you can count on to get two to three hits a night. I look for him to be a consistent threat to drive in runs and be a presence in the middle of our lineup.”

Caro comes to the Wild Things in a trade with the Ottawa Titans, who will play their first season in the Frontier League this year. In exchange for the 28-year-old outfielder, Washington sent its first-round draft pick in the upcoming Frontier League Tryout and Draft to Ottawa.

The Dominican Republic native signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2012 and spent eight seasons in the organization. He reached Triple-A in 2015 and played the 2019 season in Double-A with the Tennessee Smokies. Caro batted .239 with 33 stolen bases, 33 RBI, 14 doubles, four triples and two home runs in 116 games. He was a Southern League All-Star that season.

“Caro is another big piece that I spent the offseason looking to find,” Vaeth said. “He’s another really good player with Double-A experience that I’ve been searching for. We got lucky getting him and we are super excited to have him. He is an above-average defender in center field, a switch-hitting plus runner who will provide some much-needed speed on our basepaths. He’s a guy who’s proven throughout his career that he has good plate discipline, is willing to take walks and consistently puts the ball in play. I plan on putting him at the top of the order and let him set the table for our big guys.”

Caro’s best season was 2018 when he played in Class A and batted .317 with 14 doubles, six triples, two homers and 27 RBI. He stole 36 bases, a career high.

The Wild Things also sent left-handed relief pitcher James Mulry, who spent 2021 with the New York Boulders before a trade brought him to Washington early in the early offseason, to Lake Erie for a player to be named.

The Wild Things will kick off their 20th Frontier League season May 13 at home against New York.