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Archives for June 2012

Quick Hits: Manny, Wolff, Marin, Rangers

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It was on this day in 1966 that the Mets made one of the most infamous draft blunders in history, taking Steve Chilcott with the first overall pick of the June amateur draft.  Chilcott became the first #1 pick to never play a game in the Major Leagues, while the A's fared a bit better with the #2 selection — Reggie Jackson.

Let's check out some news from around baseball as we prepare for some interleague action…

  • Athletics GM Billy Beane said no decision has been made about releasing Manny Ramirez, reported Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News, though Beane also wasn't sure when or if Ramirez would be called up to Oakland.  Ramirez has completed his 50-game suspension but has been hampered by a leg injury and isn't hitting well in Triple-A.
  • In a radio appearance on 95.7 FM The Game, Athletics managing general partner Lew Wolff said that he wants to keep the team in the Bay Area and his ownership group has no plans to sell the A's.  Wolff predicted that in five years, the A's would be playing in a new stadium in San Jose. (All links at to Twitter.)
  • The Orioles have signed third-round pick Adrian Marin, as announced by Marin himself on his Twitter page.  Marin is a high school shortstop who was originally committed to the University of Miami.
  • The Rangers announced the signings of 18 draft picks, including all of their selections between the fourth and tenth rounds.
  • The Tigers shouldn't trade top prospect Nick Castellanos in an effort to win this season at the sake of the minor league system, writes Jamie Samuelsen for the Detroit Free Press.
  • ESPN's Keith Law examines how teams' first-round draft picks fit in among their organizations' other top prospects.
  • The Twins have hurt themselves by not dealing veterans at the trade deadline in recent years and shouldn't make that same mistake again this season, opines Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  Souhan does name a few players, however, he thinks the Twins shouldn't deal: Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, Jamey Carroll and Josh Willingham.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes an early look at the trade deadline in his latest Hot Corner video, naming the Twins, A's, Padres and Cubs as the few clubs who are clear sellers, with the Cubs "probably the biggest seller out there."  Rosenthal also thinks the Astros will likely join this group as they want to get rid of their high-priced veterans, though Houston is playing well right now.
  • In terms of potential sellers, Rosenthal names the Brewers, as they could look to move Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and/or Francisco Rodriguez if they fall out of contention.  The Phillies "are kind of hanging on a precipice" in the tough NL East and unless they get more concrete news about the health of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay, Philadelphia could become sellers as well and look ahead to 2013.
  • Fredric Horowitz has been hired as the arbitrator between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association, reports the Associated Press.  Horowitz replaces Shyam Das, who was fired in the wake of his decision to lift Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension for a positive drug test.

Minor Moves: Kris Watts, Tim Sexton

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Keeping track of the day's minor moves…

  • The Nationals have acquired minor league catcher Kris Watts from the Pirates in exchange for cash, as announced on the Pirates' official Twitter feed.  Watts was Pittsburgh's 16th-round pick in the 2006 draft and has a .259/.357/.385 line in 1702 career minor league plate appearances.
  • The Royals signed right-hander Tim Sexton, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The 24-year-old pitched in the Dodgers' organization last year, posting a 5.48 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 162 2/3 innings at Triple-A and Class A. In five minor league seasons he has a 5.15 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America details the remainder of the week's minor transactions.

NL Central Links: Hanrahan, Soler, Pierzynski, K-Rod

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Someone finally got to Aroldis Chapman and, of all teams, it was the light-hitting Pirates.  Chapman allowed back-to-back doubles to lead off the 10th inning, allowing his first earned run of the 2012 season and first since September 10, 2011 — a stretch of 35 straight scoreless innings.  Pittsburgh won the game by a 5-4 score.

Here's the latest from the NL Central…

  • Joel Hanrahan doesn't think the Pirates will trade him this summer, the closer tells Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Cook opines that Pirates ownership's commitment to re-signing top players will be questioned if Hanrahan doesn't receive a long-term extension.  Hanrahan told Cook he didn't think much about trade rumors, though we know he at least reads them on this very website.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow confirmed that his team still has an interest in Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  Luhnow wouldn't say if the Astros had submitted a contract offer by today, the reported deadline set by Soler's agents.
  • A.J. Pierzynski tells CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien about how he was almost dealt to the Cubs in 2003, as the Cubs offered the Twins a package of Juan Cruz and Todd Wellemeyer for the catcher.  Pierzynski said that he'd like to remain with the White Sox when he hits free agency this winter but if the Southsiders' local rivals from Wrigleyville were to contact him, “if they were the only team that came after me and I wanted to continue to play, how could I say no?"
  • Francisco Rodriguez wants to remain with the Brewers through the rest of this season, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, though the reliever said he'd like to close again, in all likelihood for a new team since John Axford is ensconced as Milwaukee's stopper.

Mets Agree To Terms With Gavin Cecchini

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9:49pm: Cecchini's contract is worth $2.3MM, reports MLB.com's Quinn Roberts.  The deal is expected to be made official on Friday once Cecchini passes his physical.

6:23pm: The Mets have agreed to terms with first-round pick (12th overall) Gavin Cecchini, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.  The deal is pending a physical.  The recommended slot price for the 12th overall pick is $2.55MM, though no terms of Cecchini's agreement with the club have been revealed.  Cecchini, 18, is a high school shortstop from Louisiana who had committed to the University of Mississippi.

NL East Notes: Soler, Egbert, Braves

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R.A. Dickey was masterful again today, throwing 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball in the Mets' 3-1 victory over the Nationals.  Dickey has now thrown 24 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and is approaching Jerry Koosman's club record scoreless inning streak of 31 2/3 innings.

Here's the latest from around the NL East…

  • The Marlins are not pursuing Jorge Soler, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).  The Marlins didn't submit an offer by Thursday, the deadline set by Soler's representatives for teams to propose a contract for the Cuban outfielder.
  • Mets right-hander Jack Egbert has cleared waivers and will go to Triple-A Buffalo, reports ESPN New York's Adam Rubin.  Egbert was designated for assignment on Tuesday.
  • The Braves signed third-round draft pick Bryan De La Rosa, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  De La Rosa, a high school catcher, signed for his exact slot value of $408.3K.
  • In NL East news from earlier today, the Nationals signed several draft picks and outlined their draft day strategy, while the Braves and Mets each reached agreements with their first-round picks.

Diamondbacks Notes: Drew, Hall, Towers

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The Diamondbacks enjoy a night off before beginning a weekend interleague series with their rather frequent trade partners, the Athletics.  Here's the latest from the desert…

  • In the wake of D'Backs managing partner Ken Kendrick's critical comments on Tuesday, Stephen Drew told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that while he "understands Ken's frustration," the shortstop was "disappointed that he questioned my integrity."  Drew said he has been diligently pursuing his rehab and wants to be back on the field as soon as possible.  "I want to be able to play the game that I've loved my whole life again. No one wants me to be out there more than me. I'm doing everything in my power," Drew said.
  • Arizona CEO Derrick Hall addressed a number of topics in a chat with fans on MLB.com, including Kendrick's comments, a possible Trevor Bauer callup and the possibility of signing Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson to contract extensions.  "We have discussions regularly about long-term deals with some of our pitchers. It is to our advantage to lock some of these guys down longer term to keep this group intact," Hall said.  The club explored such deals last winter but couldn't get anything finalized before Opening Day.
  • GM Kevin Towers says it's too early for the Snakes to give up and explore trading veteran players, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  "I'm always looking at trades, regardless of we're winning or losing or where we're at," Towers said. "I'm looking not only in the near future, but long term as well. I've already kicked some tires on some things. I'm not saying anything is close, but you're always looking, always keeping an eye on down below where your depth is."
  • MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith collected another batch of Diamondbacks notes earlier today.

AL East Notes: Reyes, Rundles, Blue Jays

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David Price is set to face C.C. Sabathia in the Bronx tonight, but this battle of lefty aces has been pushed back to 6:30 CST due to a rain delay.  While you're waiting, check out these notes from around the AL East…

  • The Yankees have signed 22-year-old Dominican right-hander Manolo Reyes, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The contract is worth $600K but is contingent on Reyes obtaining a visa and passing an MLB investigation into his identity and age, as Reyes has already served one year-long suspension due to problems with his paperwork.  Reyes was originally signed by the Braves in 2009.
  • The Orioles signed left-hander Rich Rundles to a minor league contract.  The 31-year-old had been pitching for the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers, who announced the transaction on their website.  Rundles appeared in nine games (six IP with a 1.50 ERA) for the Indians in 2008-09 and was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1999 when Dan Duquette was Boston's general manager.
  • The Blue Jays are going well under slot with some of their early draft picks, signing tenth-round pick Alex Azor to a $1K bonus (as reported by Chris Toman of MLB.com) and sixth-rounder Eric Phillips to a $5K bonus, according to Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.  As Davidi's piece outlines, the Jays' strategy is to free up money in their draft pool to lock up some of their perceived tough-sign picks.  One such higher pick, supplemental first-rounder Matt Smoral, has reportedly agreed to sign with Toronto for a signing bonus almost double the recommended slot value.

Astros Sign Carlos Correa

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5:41pm: Correa's bonus is worth $4.8MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

3:54pm: The deal is official, McTaggart tweets. Luhnow said it's a "monumental day" for the franchise.

THURSDAY, 3:30pm: Correa is in Houston and will sign shortly, Alyson Footer of the Astros reports (on Twitter). The Astros are announcing their deal with the top prospect today.

WEDNESDAY: The Astros have a verbal agreement to sign first overall selection Carlos Correa, according to owner Jim Crane, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports (on Twitter). GM Jeff Luhnow said earlier in the week that he expected to sign the Puerto Rican shortstop by Thursday.

Terms of the deal are not yet known but sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that it will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM.  The Astros took signability into heavy consideration and reportedly didn't settle on selecting Correa until the eleventh hour.  Pitcher Mark Appel, a Scott Boras client who fell to eighth overall, allegedly rejected a $6MM offer from Houston.

Crane says that the team's deal with Correa is structured in such a way that it will allow the club to also retain some of its favorite picks, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).  The Astros will likely need to spend big in order to sign No. 41 pick Lance McCullers Jr., a right-hander who has committed to play for the University of Florida.

Nationals Notes: Draft Signings, Mooneyham

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Nationals scouting director Kris Kline discussed his club's draft today with the media, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post….

  • The Nationals have agreed to terms with second baseman Tony Renda (second round), outfielder Brandon Miller (fourth round) and catcher Spencer Kieboom (fifth round).  The team has also agreed to terms with "several college seniors taken in later rounds."
  • Kline believes third-round pick Brett Mooneyham will sign "relatively quickly."  Mooneyham, a left-handed pitcher out of Stanford, is advised by Scott Boras.  Kline spoke highly of Mooneyham's athleticism and potential, describing the pitcher as, at worst, "a Matt Thornton-type bullpen guy." 
  • The team's draft day war room included a draft board charting prospects by how likely they were to sign.  The Nationals called prospects each round with a set bonus figure in mind and asked if they would accept.  “If it was a ‘no,’ we passed,” Kline said. “If they were hesitant at all, we passed. You just have to….We had to do our due diligence with signability with everybody with the new system in place, because you have limitations.  There’s certain guys that were requiring too much money.”

Royals Sign Kyle Zimmer

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4:52pm: Zimmer signed for a $3MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter link).

4:07pm: The Royals have announced the signing of right-hander Kyle Zimmer, their first round pick (and the fifth pick overall) from the 2012 amateur draft.  Terms of the deal were not announced, but the slot value for the fifth overall pick is $3.5MM.  The Royals have already gone over slot on one pick today, third-rounder Colin Rodgers.

Zimmer, 20, was considered to be a prospect who could be on a relatively fast track to the big leagues.  He is expected to make a few starts for the Royals' Arizona Rookie League team before heading to a higher-level minor league club.  Zimmer has only been pitching since his freshman year at the University of San Francisco but possesses a strong curveball and a fastball that can reach the mid-90's.

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