Blue Jays Sign Osuna, Becerra
The Blue Jays announced the signings of seven international free agents: Roberto Osuna, Wuilmer Becerra, Jesus Gonzalez, Manuel Cordova, Alberto Tirado, Jairo Labourt, and Yeyfry Del Rosario.
Osuna, the 16-year-old nephew of Antonio, tossed 19 2/3 innings in the Mexican League this year. The Mexican righty was one of the top July 2nd pitching prospects this year, wrote Baseball America's Ben Badler.
Becerra is a "speedy shortstop who projects as an outfielder," wrote Badler. The 17-year-old comes out of Venezuela.
The bonuses on these seven are not yet known, but the Jays signed Domincan Dawel Lugo for $1.3MM in July. Based on BA's estimates, it's likely Osuna and Becerra received more. The Blue Jays continue to be aggressive in the international market, having signed Adeiny Hechavarria, Adonis Cardona, and others last year.
Be sure to tell your Spanish-speaking friends about MLBTR's sister site, Rumores de Béisbol, where we have human translations of key MLBTR posts as well as the original Hits Latinos series.
New York Notes: Crosstown Trades, Osuna, Reyes
The Yankees own the best record in the American League and a half-game lead in the AL East over the Red Sox. The Mets are at .500 and sit 4.5 games out in the wild card race. The latest on New York's teams…
- The Mets and Yankees have matched up on only nine trades in their history, which you can check out with our Transaction Tracker. Yanks GM Brian Cashman has authored three of them, acquiring Mike Stanton (2004), Armando Benitez (2003), and Robin Ventura (2001). Cashman told Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal, "There's never been an issue with it, but you'd better win the trade." Costa's article is an excellent discussion of cross-town dealing, so be sure to check it out.
- Speaking of Yankees-Mets deals, one Yankees person who spoke to SI's Jon Heyman called the chances of a trade for Francisco Rodriguez "less than 50-50." As I mentioned earlier today, K-Rod carries a lot of baggage.
- The Yankees will eventually need 40-man roster spots for Phil Hughes, Rafael Soriano, and Eric Chavez when they come off the 60-day DL. Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues breaks down the most expendable Yankees currently on the 40-man. The Yankees are one of 19 teams with a full 40-man roster.
- The Yankees, Rangers, Blue Jays, Athletics, and Padres watched Roberto Osuna throw in Mexico on Thursday, reports Roberto Espinoza of Vanguardia (link in Spanish). The Red Sox are also interested. The 16-year-old Osuna is one of the top pitchers in the July 2nd class.
- SI's Jon Heyman surveyed two executives and two agents about Jose Reyes' next contract, with three of the four expecting $20MM per year and six or seven years.