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Minor Moves: Boof Bonser

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Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

Royals Claim Maikel Cleto; Outright Quintin Berry

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TUESDAY: The Royals announced, via press release, that Berry has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha.

SUNDAY: The Royals have announced they have claimed right-hander Maikel Cleto off waivers from the Cardinals. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Royals have designated Quintin Berry for assignment.

Cleto, who will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha, has appeared in one game for the Cardinals this year (June 5) going 2 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks allowing five runs and five hits with five strikeouts. The 24-year-old has spent portions of the last three seasons at Triple-A posting a 5.40 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 6.0 BB/9 in 178 1/3 innings covering 74 games (22 starts). This year, Cleto has recorded marks of 6.92 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and 8.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings over 16 games (9 starts).

Berry was claimed by the Royals nearly three weeks ago after the Tigers had designated him for assignment. The 28-year-old outfielder was a fifth-round pick by the Phillies in the 2006 draft, a round which has produced several major leaguers including Jeff Samardzija and Chris Davis. Berry bounced around several organizations before making his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2012 posting a .258/.330/.354 line in 330 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions. Berry, however, hasn't been able to replicate that success this year struggling in Triple-A to the tune of .172/.276/.242 in 233 plate appearances, including a .194/.264/.290 slash in his nine games (34 plate appearances) with Omaha.

Central Notes: Tigers, Brewers, Arroyo, Freese, Cubs

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The Indians had a visit today from Crash Davis. Kevin Costner, star of the movie Bull Durham and in Cleveland for the filming of his new movie Draft Day where he plays the GM of the Cleveland Browns, played catch in the outfield, gloved some ground ball at third base, and took batting practice. "I was actually glad I made contact," Costner said with a smile to reporters including MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. "I hadn't swung in a couple years. I thought my chances of swinging through the ball were just as good as fouling it off." With filming in Cleveland, Costner said he has seen several Indians games at Progressive Field and likes what he has seen, "I really think this team can win the division. I've watched a lot of baseball and they have a couple good pieces of DNA. One of them is they come from behind. Not all teams can do that. They've got the right amount of athletic arrogance to do that. I think they can run Detroit down." I wonder if Billy Chapel would agree. Speaking of the Tigers and the rest of baseball's Central Division teams:  

  • The Tigers had a scout at the Marlins-Giants series this weekend, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com. The Tigers are said to have interest in Miami relievers Steve Cishek and Ryan Webb.
  • Injuries and back-loaded contracts with deferred money have diminished the value of the Brewers' trade chips, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt. The Brewers do have some productive players on team-friendly contracts such as Yovani Gallardo, Norichika Aoki, and Jonathan Lucroy; but, Haudricourt questions what the return would be for them or for relievers Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford.
  • Bronson Arroyo is well aware financial constraints could force the Reds not to re-sign him, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  "I talked about it very briefly in the offseason," Arroyo said. "The feeling I got was: ‘Hey, we’d love to have you, Bronson.’ I think everybody around would love to keep me here the rest of my career. But monetarily there’s question marks there."
  • The Cubs could designate Henry Rodriguez for assignment to make room for another position player, tweets Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald.
  • Like Arroyo, Cardinals third baseman David Freese told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he is aware he could become a payroll casualty because of the young and inexpensive infield talent the club has.  Freese is arbitration eligible once again this winter and isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

  • Tim Dierkes was the first to learn Mike Zagurski cleared waivers and elected free agency over being outrighted to Triple-A by the Pirates. Tim followed up with another Zagurski exclusive: the Yankees signing the left-hander to a minor league contract, which includes an August 15th opt-out date.
  • MLBTR's Chris Cotillo learned right-hander Chris Bootcheck became a free agent by refusing the Yankees' outright assignment upon clearing waivers after being designated for assignment. Bootcheck, however, immediately re-signed with the Yankees agreeing to a minor league deal, which includes an August 15th opt-out date.  
  • Chris was first with the Phillies placing utilityman Michael Martinez on waivers and left-hander Dusty Hughes retiring to become a coach at a private school.
  • Chris broke the news of the Reds agreeing to terms with their competitive balance pick Michael Lorenzen to a $1.5MM bonus, $29.5K above the slot recommendation for the 38th overall selection (per Baseball America), and the Angels signing their second-rounder Hunter Green to a $942K deal, which is the slot recommendation for the 59th overall choice. 
  • Tim was the first to report the Marlins signed their seventh-round draft pick Justin Bohn to a $525K contract, $332K above the slot recommendation for the 202nd overall selection (per Baseball America).
  • MLBTR broke the story of the Padres inking their eighth-round draft choice Adrian De Horta to a $425K contract, $269K above the slot recommendation for the 238th overall pick (per Baseball America).
  • With less than six weeks remaining before the Trade Deadline, trade candidates are starting to pop up. A pair of right-handed relievers were profiled in MLBTR's Trade Candidate series: Jesse Crain of the White Sox by Charlie Wilmoth and Jose Veras of the Astros by Steve Adams.
  • Chris was the first to post right-hander Nelson Figueroa signed with a team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
  • Steve hosted the MLBTR live chat this week.
  • MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet updated the Prospect Rumor Roundup.
  • Zach Links put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.

Twins Promote Kyle Gibson

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The Twins have announced, via Twitter, they will promote top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson on Tuesday and he will make his MLB debut Saturday. The Twins have optioned left-hander Pedro Hernandez to clear a 25-man roster spot for Gibson.

Gibson, the 22nd overall selection in the 2009 draft, was ranked as the 41st-best prospect in the game by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required), 45th by MLB.com, and 68th by Baseball America. Gibson underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011 and didn't pitch again until the fall of 2012; but, Law writes "he is back to 92-94 with his four-seamer, and he works down in the zone to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. His best pitch is a hard slider that he uses to wipe out right-handed hitters but also used in changeup counts against lefties." Baseball America lauds Gibson's changeup as a plus pitch with sink while MLB.com says Gibson's slider "gives him a third above-average offering." The 25-year-old has been solid in Triple-A this year posting a 3.01 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 55% groundball rate in 92 2/3 innings covering 15 starts.

Gibson will accrue 97 days of service time, if he remains with the Twins for the rest of the season, and will most likely not be eligible for Super Two status based on the current projection. The Twins will control Gibson through the 2019 season.

East Notes: Davis, Haren, Arrieta

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The AL East is home to the hottest team in baseball as the Blue Jays tied a franchise-record by winning their 11th consecutive game this afternoon and is the only division in baseball where every team has a winning record. Joel Sherman of the New York Post asked executives and scouts from the other five divisions to predict the finishing order in the AL East. The stunning result? The Red Sox are the favorite to win the division and no one polled sees the Yankees finishing higher than third. The consensus is the Yankees will be the AL East cellar-dwellers citing age, injuries, lack of depth in the minors, and a reluctance to add future payroll. Sherman also breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of the entire division and adds his summation for each team. Elsewhere in MLB's East divisions:  

  • The Mets had an oppportunity to recall Ike Davis when Lucas Duda landed on the disabled list, but the club decided against such a move. According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, the Mets wanted to protect Davis as they are entering a stretch where they face several left-handers. "You don’t want to put him back in a funk right away," manager Terry Collins told reporters, including Ackert. Davis is hitting .310/.463/.690 with four home runs in 54 plate appearances since being sent to Triple-A Las Vegas.
  • The Nationals may try to bolster their starting rotation with a trade after Dan Haren was placed on the disabled list, reports the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore. Haren signed a one-year, $13MM contract with the Nationals after his option was declined by the Angels when a proposed trade with the Cubs fell through over reported injury concerns.  
  • The name of the recently demoted Jake Arrieta keeps coming up as a possible trade chip for the Orioles. Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes the Orioles are eventually going to have to think long and hard about how the right-hander fits and what's best for his development. Encina guesses a move to the bullpen could be part of that plan, which would allow Arrieta to concentrate on pitching in smaller spurts. 
  • ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider subscription required) sees Arrieta as a Chris Davis-type situation: the talent is there, but the question is whether it will translate at some point. 

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

  • MLBTR learned Carlos Torres re-worked the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Mets where he would remain at Triple-A Las Vegas, but be allowed to contact other MLB teams. If Torres found a 25-man roster spot somewhere, the Mets would then have 48 hours to put him on their own active roster or the right-hander could declare free agency and sign with that other club. The Mets promoted Torres yesterday.
  • MLBTR was the first to report Greg Reynolds and Travis Ishikawa had June 15 opt-out dates in their minor league contracts with the Reds and Orioles, respectively. Ishikawa exercised his opt-out today and, in addition to either being added to their 25-man roster or released within 48 hours, MLBTR learned the Orioles could also trade the first baseman during that window.
  • MLBTR was the first to learn the Rangers signed their ninth-round draft pick right-hander Jose Samayoa.
  • Tim Dierkes broke the news of the Diamondbacks signing right-hander David Pauley to a minor league deal and the Rays signing their second-round draft choice Riley Unroe to an above-slot contract.
  • Steve Adams sees Scott Feldman as a trade candidate the Cubs could turn into a pair of top 15 prospects.
  • Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers which team had the best draft. The top pick was the Cubs with over 1,100 votes (10%) out of the more than 11,000 cast while the Nationals brought up the rear with only 86 votes (0.78%).
  • Steve hosted this week's chat.
  • MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet updated the Prospect Rumor Roundup.
  • Zach Links compiled the latest edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
  • There are many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a refresher on how to use MLBTR.

Rays Promote Wil Myers

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The Rays have announced they will promote Wil Myers on Tuesday and he will join the team in Boston. Adam Berry of MLB.com first tweeted the news of the call up. The Rays will clear a spot on the 25-man roster by optioning Ryan Roberts to Triple-A Durham, but a corresponding 40-man roster move is not necessary since they had one opening. USATSI_7191452

Rays' Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link), Myers is "going to fit right in and help us win games." Friedman says Myers' recent hot streak (hitting .354 with ten home runs, and 32 RBI's in his last 32 games) "accelerated the conversation" about being promoted and what stood out to him was how well the 22-year-old has improved defensively. (Twitter links)

Myers will play regularly, mostly in right field, according to Friedman. Manager Joe Maddon concurred with his boss, as quoted by Smith, "He's going to play a lot. Of course you don't bring somebody like that up to sit around." 

Myers is the consensus choice as the game's fourth-best prospect as ranked by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required), Baseball America, and MLB.com. Law evaluates Myers as "a patient hitter who needs to work on bat control and might struggle to hit for average at first, producing via walks and power, with an eventual ceiling as a high-average, high-power player." Prior to the season, Baseball America wrote "Myers combines outstanding raw power with an advanced approach at the plate and excellent hand-eye coordination" and fits best defensively in right field. MLB.com says Myers "profiles as a run-producer in the middle of any big league lineup and he can drive the ball to all fields with the ability to leave the yard consistently."

Myers, hitting .286/.356/.520 in 289 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham after being removed prior to the third inning of the Bulls' game this afternoon, was the centerpiece of the James Shields–Wade Davis trade the Rays made with the Royals last December. The 2009 third-round draft pick will accrue 104 days of service time, if he remains with the Rays for the rest of the season, and is on the cusp of missing Super Two status based on the current projection. Nevertheless, the Rays will control Myers through the 2019 season. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Gallardo, Twins, White Sox

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The Royals made this a special Father's Day for 21 dads as the team invited the players' fathers to travel with them on their current road trip to Tampa and Cleveland. Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports the idea was the brainstorm of the Royals' senior director of travel Jeff Davenport, who borrowed the idea from NHL teams, and was approved quickly by GM Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost. The idea came as a shock to some of the dads including the father of infielder Elliot Johnson, Robert. "Elliot told me about it and I had to call him back three times to make sure I got this story right — I said, 'You've got to be kidding me. All I have to do is get to Kansas City and they're going to put me on a plane and fly me along with you and not charge me anything? And I'm going to get in a hotel and eat with you guys and hang out with you?" The trip hasn't been without incident. Robert Johnson admitted he had an argument with Hall of Famer and new Royals batting coach George Brett over – what else – Elliot's hitting. In other news and notes from MLB's Central divisions: 

  • After struggling for most of the season, Yovani Gallardo has now tossed 14 consecutive scoreless innings. With the Brewers in last place and Gallardo controlled affordably through 2015 ($11.25MM in 2014 and a 2015 club option worth $13MM), the right-hander's name has popped up as a trade candidate (including by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes two weeks ago) and he has heard the talk. "We'll see what happens," Gallardo told reporters including MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "It's definitely a little bit different. It's the first time I've been in a situation like this — not to say that anything is going to happen." McCalvy reports Gallardo can block trades to ten teams, but Gallardo acknowledges even he doesn't know the identity of all of them. 
  • While the Brewers don't anticipate Corey Hart returning from offseason knee surgery until after the All-Star break, at the earliest, GM Doug Melvin will not rush first base prospect Hunter Morris to the Majors, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Melvin told Haudricourt service time considerations aren't part of the decision-making process, "He needs to play more at Triple-A. We just want to make sure he's ready before making a move like that." The Brewers entered the weekend last in the NL at first base with a .493 OPS and 14th with four home runs and a .275 slugging percentage.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan told Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, and Kevin Correia will be the most asked about players as the Trade Deadline approaches (Twitter link).
  • Twins closer Glen Perkins will also be sought after by teams looking to bolster their bullpen, including the division rival Tigers. Ryan, however, told Bowden he has not had any conversations with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and would rather have Perkins pitch for him than against him (Twitter link).
  • Yesterday, the White Sox announced the signing of seventh-round draft choice Trey Michalczewski. Today, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweeted the prep third baseman will receive a $500K bonus, which is $323.4K above the recommended slot (per Baseball America). 

Minor Moves: Mike Ekstrom

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Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Angels have signed right-hander Mike Ekstrom to a minor league contract and he will report to Triple-A Salt Lake, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed the signing on Twitter after tweeting yesterday Ekstrom had a opt-out in his deal with the A's, which he exercised. The 29-year-old last appeared in a MLB game with the Rockies in 2012 posting a mark of 6.31 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.1 BB/9, and 12.1 H/9 in 15 2/3 innings (15 games). This year with Triple-A Sacramento, Ekstrom has marginally better numbers of 5.10 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 11.7 H/9 in 30 innings (20 games). 

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