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Yankees Acquire Fernando Martinez
The Yankees acquired Fernando Martinez from the Astros in exchange for minor league right-hander Charles Basford, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Martinez, 24, has been less-than-stellar in 35 plate appearances for the Astros this season. In his five years for the Astros and Mets, the left-handed hitting outfielder has a .206/.269/.362 slash line. Martinez was once considered to be a promising farmhand in the Mets' system and was ranked as high as No. 22 across the minors by Baseball America prior to the 2007 season.
Basford, 22, has spend the last two seasons with the Yankees' New York-Penn League affiliate. In 19 relief appearances, the right-hander has a 5.13 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.
Yankees Designate Chris Bootcheck For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they have designated right-hander Chris Bootcheck for assignment. That move, coupled with Mark Teixeria being placed on the DL, allowed the Bombers to recall right-hander Adam Warren and outfielder Zoilo Almonte.
Bootcheck saw just one inning in pinstripes this year, allowing two hits and one run against the Angels on Friday. In 91 big league games, the 34-year-old owns a 6.55 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
The Yankees promoted Bootcheck in advance of his late-June opt out and while his stay on the varsity squad was short lived, he pitched well for the club's Triple-A affiliate. Bootcheck made 11 starts for Scranton Wilkes-Barre and had a 3.32 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.
Padres Sign Ben Francisco
The Padres have signed Ben Francisco to a minor league deal, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (on Twitter). The outfielder was designated for assignment by the Yankees in late May and released in early June. Francisco will report to Triple-A Tuscon and provide San Diego with some additional minor league depth.
The 31-year-old hit just .114/.220/.182 in 50 plate appearances this season with the Bombers but has a .253/.323/.418 career line across seven seasons. Francisco spent the first six seasons of his career with the Indians and Phillies but has had stints with four big league clubs from 2012-13.
Diamondbacks Sign Braden Shipley
The Diamondbacks have signed first-rounder Braden Shipley for an under-slot $2.25MM signing bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The assigned pick value to the No. 15 selection was $2,434,500, according to BA, so the D-backs managed to save about $185K despite getting Shipley much later than most expected him to go. Shipley is advised by Adam Karon and Tripper Johnson of Sosnick & Cobbe.
Shipley was a consensus top 10 talent among ESPN's Keith Law (No. 6), Baseball America (No. 8) and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (No. 9), so it was surprising that he was on the board for the D-backs with the 15th overall selection. The big right-hander out of Nevada works at 93-95 mph but touches 98 with his heater and has a hard curveball, according to Callis.
Law called Shipley's 83-86 mph changeup his best pitch, but also noted that he's seen Shipley clocked as high as 99 mph with his fastball and added that the Wolf Pack ace features an average curveball.
Shipley becomes the 21st first-round selection from this year's draft to agree to terms or officially sign with his new team. The Diamondbacks have selected a college pitcher with three of their past four first-round picks, also grabbing UCLA's Trevor Bauer and Texas A&M's Barret Loux.
Phillies Sign J.P. Crawford
The Phillies have signed first-round pick J.P. Crawford for the full slot value of $2,299,300, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
Chuck Hixson of Philly Baseball Insider was the first to tweet that a deal was in place. Crawford, a high school shortstop out of California, is advised by Len Strelitz of the Wasserman Media Group.
Callis notes that Crawford was "easily the best" shortstop in this year's draft class, as he has a good bat, speed, good defense and a little power as well. Crawford ranked 14th among draft prospects according to ESPN's Keith Law. Baseball America ranked Crawford 15th on their Top 500, and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranked him 19th on his Top 100 list.
Law wrote that Crawford was the only shortstop in the draft who had a better than even chance of sticking at the position. Though he's concerned about Crawford's size, Law called him "a shortstop with a chance to hit and add value on defense, great for a team that doesn't mind taking a player who might not see full-season ball until 2015."
The Phillies hadn't had a true first-round pick since 2011 thanks to their free agent signings of Jonathan Papelbon and Cliff Lee. The also lost their 2009 first-rounder when they signed Raul Ibanez as a free agent. Crawford is the third consecutive high school talent taken with the Phillies' true first-round selections, as they grabbed left-hander Jesse Biddle in 2010 and shortstop Anthony Hewitt in 2008. Crawford is one of 20 first-rounders to agree to terms or sign with his new team thus far.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Orioles Designate Yamaico Navarro For Assignment
The Orioles announced (via Twitter) that they have selected the contract of Travis Ishikawa and designated infielder Yamaico Navarro for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. A 25-man roster space has been opened by placing Miguel Gonzalez on the paternity list.
Navarro, 25, hit .286/.333/.357 in 31 plate appearances for the O's this year, though he's just a career .206/.258/.267 hitter. Despite his youth, he's seen Major League action with four different clubs -- the Red Sox, Pirates, Royals and O's. He's fared significantly better in 190 games at the Triple-A level, batting .268/.354/.440.
Ishikawa exercised the out clause in his minor league contract, giving the Orioles 48 hours to decide whether or not to add him to the roster. General manager Dan Duquette said earlier this morning they were leaning toward selecting the contract. Ishikawa, who was hitting .316/.413/.525 with seven homers in 208 plate appearances at Triple-A, will start at DH for the Orioles tonight and bat eighth.
Mets Agree To Sign Dominic Smith
2:54pm: Smith's deal is worth $2.6MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). That figure is just below the slot recommendation of $2.8MM for the No. 11 overall selection.
2:23pm: The Mets have reached agreement on a deal with first-rounder Dominic Smith, sources tell Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter). An official announcement from the Mets is coming soon, according to Carig.
Terms of the deal are unknown, but the slot recommendation for the No. 11 pick is $2,840,300, according to Baseball America. Smith, a high school first baseman out of California, is being advised by the MVP Sports Group.
ESPN's Keith Law ranked Smith as the No. 11 talent available, while Baseball America ranked him 14th, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo ranked him 15th. All three noted the tremendous upside of Smith's bat and his plus defense at first, with Law in particular noting how rare it is for high school first basemen to be this highly regarded because they're already at the bottom of the defensive spectrum.
Matt Ehalt of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that the Mets and Smith were close to a deal.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Pirates To Sign Reese McGuire
TUESDAY: McGuire received $2.369MM from the Pirates, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter), so the Pirates saved about $200K.
MONDAY: The Pirates have agreed to a deal with first round draft pick Reese McGuire, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. According to Mark Zender, McGuire's high school coach, McGuire is on his way to Pittsburgh in order to take his physical and will officially sign tomorrow. The contract is believed to be worth close to the assigned slot value (via Baseball America) for the 14th overall pick, which is just under $2.57MM. McGuire is advised by Adam Karon and Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
McGuire, a left-handed hitting catcher, was rated as the draft's 10th-best prospect by both MLB.com and Baseball America, and was rated 19th by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required). The Kentwood High School product drew praise for his throwing arm, defensive skills and overall game-calling abilities behind the plate. While his hitting is still somewhat unpolished, BA notes that "even if he doesn't reach his offensive ceiling, McGuire's defense will allow him to be a big league backup, but if he hits he has all-star potential."
Once McGuire's deal is finalized, he will be the 16th of 33 first rounders to sign. One of the unsigned is Austin Meadows, the Pirates' other first round selection -- the Bucs received the ninth overall pick as compensation for failing to sign Mark Appel following the 2012 draft.
Giants To Sign Christian Arroyo
11:51am: Arroyo signed for the full slot value of $1,866,500, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
2:30am: Giants first-rounder Christian Arroyo is in Arizona to take his physical and thus is close to signing with the team, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Details of the contract aren't known but as the 25th overall pick in the draft, Arroyo's recommended slot bonus (via Baseball America) is between $1.866MM and $1.867MM. Arroyo is advised by Tom O'Connell of O'Connell Sports Management.
The Giants see Arroyo as a middle infielder and he was drafted as a shortstop, though there is some debate over which position best suits the Florida high schooler. Some scouts actually see Arroyo as a catcher, and "those who don't think he can catch see him as a tweener, not quick enough for second and not powerful enough for third base," according to Baseball America (BA subscription required). Arroyo is considered to be a generally good hitting prospect, though ESPN's Keith Law feels "his offensive upside is somewhat limited" and he has some mechanical issues at the plate.
Arroyo was something of a surprise first round pick in the pundits' eyes, as Law only ranked him 99th on his list of the 100 best draft prospects and Baseball America ranked him 102nd. He had committed to attend the University of Florida. Arroyo will be the 17th of this year's 33 first rounders to sign once his deal is finalized.
Travis Ishikawa Exercises Opt Out Clause
TUESDAY: Orioles general manager Dan Duquette tells Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that the team is "leaning toward" adding Ishikawa to the roster, but nothing has been finalized yet. The team has until midnight to make a decision (Twitter link).
SUNDAY: Travis Ishikawa has filed a written request to exercise his opt-out clause and become a free agent, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Orioles have 48 hours to add Ishikawa to their 25-man Major League roster, or he will be granted his release from the organization. The Orioles could also trade Ishikawa during this 48-hour period, MLBTR has learned.
As reported by MLBTR last week, Ishikawa had the ability to opt-out of his contract on Saturday. While he has performed quite well at Triple-A Norfolk, the O's haven't been able to find room for him on the roster. The 29-year-old has a .316/.413/.525 slash line with seven homers in 208 Triple-A plate appearances.
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