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Archives for June 2012

Quick Hits: Teahen, Soler, Ethier, Hamilton, Youkilis

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The Dodgers officially announced their five-year, $85MM extension with Andre Ethier this afternoon on a day that featured lots of draft news. Here are some of Tuesday’s non-draft-related links, starting in Los Angeles…

  • Mark Teahen can opt-out of his minor league contract with the Nationals if not called up by June 15th, MLBTR has learned. The 30-year-old has hit .293/.347/.404 with Washington's Triple-A affiliate while playing all four corner spots.
  • Jorge Soler is still in the process of securing a visa prior to officially signing with the Cubs, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). That could take about a week.
  • The Dodgers’ deal with Ethier could eliminate them from the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes after the season, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (Twitterlinks). This could limit Hamilton’s leverage with the Rangers whenever the sides resume contract talks.
  • Olney points to the abundance of quality outfielders nearing free agency and suggests it makes sense for the players to accept deals now instead of waiting for what could be a buyer’s market.
  • There are no new developments in contract discussions between Cole Hamels and the Phillies or Zack Greinke and the Brewers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • GM Sandy Alderson told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that the Mets haven't drawn up plans to buy or sell this summer. Davidoff suggests that the Mets could decide to stay the course at the upcoming trade deadline.
  • One scout watched Kevin Youkilis play and wasn’t impressed, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). "For what he costs, he can't do anything," the scout said.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Red Sox Close To Signing Tzu-Wei Lin

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The Red Sox are close to signing 18-year-old Taiwanese shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin for $2.05MM, reports Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. The deal is not yet complete but the two sides are in "final stages of an agreement."

Lin reportedly signed with the Yankees for six figures as a 16-year-old back in 2010, but the deal was later ruled invalid. MLB.com ranked Lin as the 18th best international free agent on the market, describing him as a "smaller version of Rays prospect Hak-Ju Lee." The $2.05MM bonus would be a record for a Taiwanese position player.

Twins To Sign Byron Buxton

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6:00pm: Buxton obtains a $6MM bonus, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports.

TUESDAY, 8:30am: Buxton's bonus will surpass that of first overall selection Carlos Correa, Ben Goessling of the Pioneer Press reports.

MONDAY: The Twins have reached an agreement with second overall pick Byron Buxton, pending a physical, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Buxton arrived in the Twin Cities on Monday and will take his physical tomorrow.

There are no details on Buxton's signing bonus as of yet, but the recommended slot for the No. 2 overall pick is $6.2MM. With No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa signing well under slot, there's a chance that Buxton could receive the largest bonus of the 2012 draft.

Neal reports that Buxton will likely report to the Twins' rookie league team in Fort Myers, Fla., and that he could advance to Minnesota's Appalachian League affiliate in Elizabethton, Tenn. It was reported over the weekend that the two sides were near an agreement.

Cubs Notes: Jaramillo, LaHair, Dempster

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The Cubs, who rank 14th out of 16 NL teams in runs scored, announced that they replaced hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo with minor league hitting coordinator James Rowson. Here are some more Cubs-related notes and rumors…

  • President of baseball operations Theo Epstein confirmed that the Cubs are ready to start trading players to improve the organization's future, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter).
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines the rosters of potential sellers, including the Cubs. Most scouts believe Bryan LaHair has legitimate late-blooming power like Nelson Cruz and Jose Bautista, according to Bowden.
  • Some executives believe Ryan Dempster could be traded early, perhaps even before the All-Star break, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Dodgers are interested in Dempster, who is in the last year of his contract.
  • An American League exec likes the looks of Dempster, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). "He's pitching well and he'd give you a good character guy/leader," the person said.
  • David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lists off a number of reasons why the Braves may not pursue trades for veteran pitchers like Dempster this summer. The new collective bargaining agreement could impact the Braves’ interest in making a deal, and Kris Medlen gives them an additional internal candidate for the rotation.

Rangers To Sign Brinson, Gallo, Wiles

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3:54pm: Brinson obtained a $1.625MM bonus, according to Callis via Twitter.

3:18pm: Wiles obtained a $975K bonus, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets.

2:12pm: The Rangers have agreed to terms with their top five selections from the amateur draft, according to ESPNDallas.com. First round selection Lewis Brinson and compensation round selections Joey Gallo and Collin Wiles are among the players who have agreed to terms with the Rangers. Gallo obtains a considerable bonus of $2.25MM, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law (on Twitter).

The Rangers picked Brinson, a high school center fielder, with the 29th overall selection in last week's draft. They chose Gallo, a high school third baseman, with the 39th overall selection and chose Wiles, a high school right-hander, with the 53th overall selection. MLB recommends bonuses of $1.625MM, $1.325MM and $955K for the 29th, 39th and 53rd selections, respectively.

Red Sox Release Marlon Byrd

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The Red Sox released Marlon Byrd, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reports (on Twitter). The team had designated the ACES client for assignment earlier this month to clear a roster spot for Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The Red Sox acquired Byrd from the Cubs for Michael Bowden and Hunter Cervenka in April, but the outfielder hit just .273/.288/.333 in 105 plate appearances in Boston. Byrd, 34, is now a free agent and can sign with any team for a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum. 

Reds To Sign Nick Travieso

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The Reds will officially sign first round pick Nick Travieso, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. Travieso, the 14th overall selection, will obtain a $2MM bonus.

MLB recommended a $2.375MM bonus for the 14th selection, so the Reds save toward their overall draft cap with the agreement. The high school right-hander has a fastball that touches 98 and a hard slider, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets.

Draft Signings: Dodgers, Reds, Tigers, Rangers

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MLBTR has updated lists of which first and supplemental first round picks have agreed to terms. Here are the latest notable draft signings from the second round and beyond…

  • The Dodgers have agreed to terms with sixth round selection Joey Curletta for $172K, MLBTR has learned. Curletta has impressive right-handed power and a strong throwing arm, but he's a slow runner, according to Baseball America.
  • The Reds signed fifth rounder Mason Felt to an over-slot deal worth $318K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school left-hander has the potential for a plus fastball and curve. The Reds signed a number of other selections, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
  • The Tigers have signed third rounder Austin Schotts for $389K, Callis tweets. The high school shortstop has very good speed and some power, according to Callis.
  • The Rangers signed second round pick Nick Williams for $500K, Callis tweets. Williams, a high school outfielder, has great tools despite his inconsistent spring performance, according to Callis.
  • The Rangers signed another second round pick, Jamie Jarmon, for $602K, Callis tweets. NFL teams were interested in the athletic high school outfielder.

Royals Notes: Francoeur, Myers, Greinke

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The Royals' offense, which ranked sixth in the American League a year ago, now sits next-to-last in scoring with 224 runs. Here's the latest on the 24-34 Royals, before their series with the Brewers begins…

  • Wil Myers’ tremendous minor league numbers have put Jeff Francoeur on the trading block, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Royals could potentially part with Francoeur and call up Myers without damaging the team’s credibility in the short term. However, the Royals intend to be patient with Myers and Francoeur’s two-year $13.5MM contract could deter some suitors.
  • Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star explains that Zack Greinke could be a fit in Kansas City this offseason, despite the apparently acrimonious conclusion to his first stint with the Royals. Greinke, a free agent after the season, requested a trade from the Royals following the 2010 season, since he didn’t believe they were close to contending. Billy Butler has had critical words for Greinke in the past, but he’d welcome the right-hander back. “A lot of things get overshadowed when you have that type of talent,” Butler said.

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