Yankees In On Sano?
You've heard the name plenty around these parts over the past few weeks. Miguel Angel Sano, a 16-year-old infield prospect from the Dominican Republic, has been linked to the Pirates, Indians, Orioles and Twins.
Now it appears the Yankees have jumped into the bidding. As ESPN The Magazine's Jorge Arangure reported through his Twitter account this afternoon, Brian Cashman and Co. believe they have a "50/50" chance of landing the phenom.
Discussion: Veterans In Triple-A
One year ago today, the Mets swung a deal for veteran outfielder Trot Nixon, who at the time was hitting .309-.437-.558 for Triple-A Tuscon. While Nixon wasn't much of a boost to the Mets' offense, teams could still look to patch up holes without breaking the bank by acquiring veterans stuck in the minors. Let's take at some guys who have been performing well down in Triple-A and could possibly offer a big league team help off the bench or out of the bullpen. First, the position players:
- Andy Marte: .321-.351-.530 in 171 PA while playing first and third for Cleveland's AAA affiliate.
- Shelley Duncan: .310-.379-.670 in 227 PA, leading the International League in homers and RBI, and not by a small margin either. He's played the corner outfield spots and first base for the AAA Scranton Yankees.
- Hector Luna: .351-.413-.655 in 218 PA, playing first, second and third base for the Dodgers' top minor league club.
Marte has certainly gotten his fair share of big league opportunities, as has Luna. Both could possibly offer infield depth to a team beset by injuries. Duncan has had a tremendous offensive season (not quite a Jake Fox season, though), but swings from the right side, so he's not an ideal pinch hitter for an NL club. Here's some pitchers:
- Lenny DiNardo: 3.48 ERA, 52-13 K/BB in 64.2 IP, mostly out of the rotation in the Royals' organization.
- Elmer Dessens: 1.15 ERA, 26-7 K/BB in 31.1 IP, working exclusively out of the bullpen for the Mets' AAA affiliate.
- Brendan Donnelly: 2.04 ERA, 16-5 K/BB in 17.2 IP, all as a reliever with Houston's top minor league team.
None of these three are strangers to the big leagues. DiNardo could be particularly attractive to a team looking to add another lefty to their relief corps, especially since he could spot start as well. Donnelly has playoff and World Series experience, which has value to some.
Do you see any teams that could be possible fits for these guys? Are there any other veteran players down in Triple-A that could help someone?
Odds & Ends: Sano, Jones, Draft, Fukumori
A bevy of links for your Saturday morning…
- Dennis Manoloff reports that the Indians intend to make an offer to uberprospect Miguel Angel Sano.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that the "Yankees have made it very clear that catcher Gary Sanchez is their top choice" on the international market. Last night we noted that the Yanks were going to work Sano out at their Dominican academy next week.
- Andruw Jones says he asked out of Dodger Blue because of the way owner Frank McCourt treated him, according to Dylan Hernandez.
- Frank Seravalli reports that Phillies are set to sign second round pick Kyle Dugan today. Dugan was Philadelphia's first selection in the draft after they forfeited their first rounder to sign Raul Ibanez.
- Kevin Goldstein wonders why Stephen Strasburg's impending megadeal is such a big deal. Meanwhile Michael Wilbon says "No way in the world I'd have taken Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 pick in the draft," citing the risk. Show me a draft pick without risk, and I'll show you the three bridges in New York I have for sale.
- Patrick at NPB Tracker notes that the recently released Kazuo Fukumori is set to audition for his former team, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League.
Red Sox, Bay Yet To Resume Extension Talks
The Boston Globe's Adam Kilgore reports that the Red Sox have yet to resume talks about a contract extension with outfielder Jason Bay.
"There's nothing new," Bay said yesterday. "There's really nothing to say about it. It's been a hot topic. I understand that. Until there's something to say, there's nothing to say."
"There's still a lot of time left, plus there was some real bad timing with the draft, all the time leading up to it," Bay said. "I understand whether it happens or not, but now is not a great time. Maybe when things settle down. But like I said, there's nothing exciting."
The two sides ended negotiations back in March, and since then all we've heard is that they still haven't talked. Bay is enjoying a tremendous season at the perfect time, hitting .280-.402-.587 in 264 plate appearances.
Orioles Closing In On Deal With First Round Pick
Dan Connolly and Mike Klingaman of The Baltimore Sun are reporting that California high school RHP Matt Hobgood, the fifth overall pick in last week's amateur draft, is expected to take a physical in Baltimore in two weeks.
"That's the plan. We've pretty much got [the contract] set," said Hobgood, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound right-handed pitcher from Norco High in suburban Los Angeles. "Nothing is final, but [the Orioles] presented us a deal and we'll work something out. I'll for sure sign on that Saturday."
"We don't have anything finalized yet. We're going to have to get him into town; we never sign any of these kids without a complete physical," Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan said. "We are getting close, but we have a few things to get settled first."
The recommended slot bonus for the fifth overall pick is expected to be around $2.25MM after MLB reduced their recommendations 10% across the board.
Discussion: Best Minor League Contracts
One of the staples of the Hot Stove League is the minor league contract. Teams hand them out to aging veterans, players coming off injuries, guys looking for one last shot to extend their careers, stuff like that. Now that we're just over one-third of the way through the season, let's discuss some players who've made the most of their opportunity.
Here's some notable performances:
- Livan Hernandez: 3.88 ERA in 11 starts coming into tonight for the Mets.
- Omar Vizquel: .345-.379-.455 in 60 plate appearances while playing short, second, and even some third for the Rangers.
- Juan Uribe: .296-.317-.435 in 121 plate appearance for the Giants. He's played all over the infield.
- Adam Kennedy: .328-.406-.525 in 140 plate appeances for the A's after signing with the Rays.
Who do you think has been the best player after signing a minor league deal this past offseason? Anyone I miss?
Odds & Ends: Betemit, Greene, Sano, Draft
How do you guys feel about interleague play? I understand the problems in creates in terms of the unbalanced schedule, but the fan in me still loves it. Anyway, here's some evening links as rivalry weekend kicks off…
- Wilson Betemit has been outrighted to Triple-A according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune. Betemit had been designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Gordon Beckham last week.
- Khalil Greene has returned to St. Louis not to play, but to "have his status re-evaluated" according to Derrick Goold. The Cards have been looking for middle infield help, and most recently have been connected to Miguel Tejada.
- Tyler Kepner notes that prospect Miguel Angel Sano will work out for the Yankees at their Dominican academy next Thursday. Here's the money quote from Sano's agent Rob Plummer: "I would say he has a Hanley Ramirez body and the possible upside of an Albert Pujols-type bat." Oh, is that all?
- Maury Brown notes that this week's amateur draft shattered MLB.com's traffic records.
- MLB.com's Todd Willis reports that the Rangers have signed six draft picks including Ruben Sierra Jr.
- The Blue Jays inked a nostalgic draft pick of their own, agreeing to terms with Tony Fernandez's son Jonathan according to Erika Gilbert.
Melvin: Talk Of Deal “Absolutely False”
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy spoke to Brewers' GM Doug Melvin about some "trade rumors that have swirled on the Internet over the past 36 hours about an imminent trade for a front-line pitcher." Melvin called the rumors "absolutely false," although he did acknowledge speaking to several other GM's recently. He wouldn't acknowledge who exactly he spoke to, or what kind of players were discussed.
The only recent trade talk we've heard involving the Brew Crew lately is that Jake Peavy is too expensive and that Tom Glavine isn't good enough to help. Peavy is out for at least a month with an ankle injury, so he figures to be out of the mix for now.
Let's round up the rest of McCalvy's rumors:
- Neither Trevor Hoffman or Ryan Braun has spoken to Peavy lately, perhaps about pitching in Milwaukee. Hoffman, of course, was Peavy's teammate in San Diego, while Braun played with him in the World Baseball Classic.
- Melvin said he hasn't spoken to Indians' GM Mark Shapiro "in a while," potentially eliminating Cliff Lee as the rumored front-line pitcher.
- Boston GM Theo Epstein called Melvin recently not to talk trade, but to apologize for a rumor about the Red Sox attempting to acquire Corey Hart.
- Melvin said "There's not one team that's saying, 'I'm ready to trade my players,'" specifically mentioning the Mariners.
Yankees Sell Linden To Japanese Team
Chad Jennings of The Scranton Times Tribune reports that the Yankees have sold outfielder Todd Linden to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League. Linden had been playing in Triple-A, where he hit .312-.381-.515 in 268 plate appearances. The Yanks agreed to the move after Linden had come to terms with his new Japanese club.
Linden is second player the Yankees have agreed to sell to the Golden Eagles within the last eight months. They received $1MM for the rights to RHP Darrell Rasner back in November,
Peavy Out A Month, Trade Will Have To Wait
MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets that Padres righthander Jake Peavy has his injured ankle in a cast, and will miss at least a month. The injury originally popped up when Peavy developed tendonitis in his ankle running the bases in late May.
After nixing a deal to the White Sox last month, Peavy was still expected to be a popular name on the trade rumor circuit between now and the trade deadline. The injury will most likely put any trade talks on hold, because teams are going to want to see him healthy before trading several young players from him, not to mention assume the more than $50MM Peavy's guaranteed over the next four years.