Archives for July 2009

Indians Acquire Winston Abreu

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 1:42pm CDT

The Indians acquired Winston Abreu from the Rays for minor league righty John Meloan and cash, according to an Indians press release. Abreu will be added to the Indians' major league roster.

Abreu, 32, pitched in just two games for the Rays this year, but he excelled in Triple A, striking out 49 and allowing just 24 baserunners in 32 innings for an ERA of 1.41. Meloan, who turns 25 next weekend, pitched briefly in two seasons for the Indians. His Triple A numbers are less impressive than Abreu's this year, as he's struck out 37 and allowed 69 baserunners in 44 innings for a 5.52 ERA.

Aroldis Chapman Interests Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 1:22pm CDT

The Yankees will have interest in flame-throwing lefty Aroldis Champan once he establishes residency in another country and becomes a free agent, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown and ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr.. The 21-year-old just defected from Cuba and his agent says he could be ready for the majors by spring.

As one General Manager told Brown: "all 30 teams will be interested to some degree." Check out this post for more details on the star pitcher, his weaknesses and the price he could command.

List Of International Prospects To Sign July 2nd

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 12:39pm CDT

Lots of prospects are signing as we kick off the international signing period and we'll keep track of today's deals right here:

In the biggest deal so far, the Cards inked Wagner Mateo for $3.1MM.
The Mets signed Juan Urbina for a bonus worth more than $1MM.
The Brewers signed outfielder Jose Pena to a six-figure deal, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
The Astros signed shortstop Jonathan Mejia for about $370k, according to Badler.
As mentioned in another post, the Yankees added pitcher Chris Cabrera for $400k, shortstop Damian Arredondo for $850k and catcher Gary Sanchez for about $3MM.
Badler reports that the A's signed Wilfredo Solano, who will probably move to third.
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports that the A's also signed Wilman Martinez, an infielder, and Alfred Sosa, an outfielder.
The Pirates signed a trio of Taiwanese prospects, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ping-Hung Chi, Sheng-Cin Hong and Chih-Wei Hsu.
Badler reports that the Blue Jays signed 16-year-old catcher Santiago Nessy.
Kovacevic has another one: The Royals have reportedly inked Nicaraguan third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert for a bonus "in the range" of $1.5MM.
According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, the Giants have signed Marvin Barrios, a 17-year-old from Panama, to a six-figure bonus.
As expected, the Rangers appear to have signed Jurickson Profar, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

Cubs Acquire Jeff Baker, DFA Ryan Freel

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 12:07pm CDT

12:07pm: In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated Ryan Freel for assignment, according to a team press release. Freel, 33, put up an OPS of .369 in 14 games for the Cubs.

11:27am: ESPN.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Rockies receive right-hander Alberto Alburquerque, who was pitching in A ball for the Cubs. The 23-year-old has struck out 44 and allowed 40 baserunners in nearly 35 innings pitched this year.

8:41am: The Cubs acquired Jeff Baker from the Rockies, according to Yahoo Sports. It's unclear what the Rockies will receive in exchange for the infielder. Baker, 28, has played in just 12 games this year for Colorado, but he posted a respectable .791 OPS in over 100 games last year. He's played all four corner positions in his five-year career, but he's played mostly at second base.

Aroldis Chapman’s Value

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 11:40am CDT

Aroldis Chapman defected from Cuba and he's now free to sign with the highest bidder. So how much will teams offer the player many scouts consider the best left-handed pitching prospect in the world? ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. gathered some estimates and hears that the 21-year-old could sign a deal worth between $30-60MM.

When Jose Contreras defected from Cuba, the Yankees signed him for $32MM and Chapman's agent claims his client is the best player to defect since Contreras. But his agent isn't the only one singing Chapman's praises; one scouting director called the magnitude of the news "shocking."

Chapman, who also goes by the first name Albertin, can throw 100mph, but his secondary pitches need development and he's considered raw. Some question his maturity, but those who watched him in the WBC say there's no question that Chapman has charisma.

Arangure Jr. reminds us that we could be months away from a bidding war. Once we get there, the Yankees will have interest. Is he comparable to Stephen Strasburg? Most definitely. Kiley McDaniel says he's not quite as polished but represents a great example of what Strasburg would get as a free agent.

Baseball America's John Manuel says Daisuke Matsuzaka and Contreras are fair points of reference for Chapman. The Cuban lefty is younger than either of those two were when they came to the majors, and he throws harder. Manuel talked to a scout who says "you'll be searching your whole life" if you're looking for more in a pitcher.

So when will it all start? Chapman has to establish residency in another country, but his agent says he'll be ready by Spring Training, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.

Cardinals Sign Wagner Mateo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 11:17am CDT

Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that the Cardinals signed 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, as expected. His bonus hasn't officially been announced, but we heard last week that it will be about $3.1MM. Along with Miguel Angel Sano, Mateo was considered one of the top prospects to become available this summer.

D’Backs Scouting Red Sox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 11:09am CDT

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe notes that the D'Backs have been scouting the Red Sox recently. This may be nothing more than a straightforward assignment, but Chad Tracy could appeal to the Red Sox. Mike Lowell should return after the All-Star break, but Tracy, who just came off the DL, could appeal to Boston if Lowell's injury is worse than anticipated.

The D'Backs "would like to move" the corner infielder, who will become a free agent after the season if the D'Backs don't exercise his $7MM option for next season. The Red Sox have limited space on their bench, however, especially now that Julio Lugo is boosting his trade value by hitting better.

July 2nd Update: Cubs, Nats, Giants

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 10:56am CDT

Some links to read as the international signing period kicks off…

Baseball America's Ben Badler expects we'll hear of more signings when teams begin making official announcements this afternoon.
ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. sees a parallel between this year's international signings and last winter's free agent market: the top players are getting top dollars, with big drop-offs afterwards.
Arangure Jr. hears that the Cubs may have signed Venezuelan catcher Wilson Contreras for $850k.
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post reports that the Nats will "hardly make a peep" in this year's market. They have Stephen Strasburg to worry about, after all.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians plan on offering deals to 4-7 players.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the Giants are looking at a few international players. Don't expect them to award any big bonuses, however.

Yankees Sign Sanchez, Add Two Others

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 10:38am CDT

10:38am: McDaniel reports that the Yankees have indeed agreed to sign Arredondo for $850k. Osuna is "out of the picture," however, as the Yanks added righty Chris Cabrera for $400k.

9:54am: As expected, the Yankees have signed Dominican catcher Gary Sanchez, according to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus. Sanchez will receive a bonus of $3MM, but deferred payments bring the present value of the amount closer to $2.8MM. As Ben Badler points out, it's the biggest bonus the Yankees have ever awarded a hitter.

McDaniel hears that the Yankees will spend an additional $1MM on a shortstop and a pitcher. Damian Arredondo is expected to be the shortstop and some expect the pitcher to be Jose Osuna. If he signs, Arredondo would likely receive about $850k of the $1MM the Yankees are expected to spend on the pair of players.

A Look At The Mets’ Trade Chips

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 2, 2009 at 10:26am CDT

We know the Mets have holes in the rotation, infield and outfield since many of their stars are on the DL. So what kind of resources do they have in the minor leagues? Yahoo's Gordon Edes takes a closer look at the Mets' minor league system to see which players might be appealing trade chips:

The bottom line: the Mets don't have much to deal
Washington asked about Bobby Parnell in a deal for Nick Johnson, but the Mets are reluctant to deal their young reliever.
One scout said Jonathon Niese and Eddie Kunz are the most interesting pieces in Triple A Buffalo, but even they need seasoning.
Fernando Martinez is a top prospect, but they want to hold onto him.
Deals for J.J. Putz and Johan Santana weakened the Mets' system, but they have a few promising players, like shortstop Wilmer Flores, in the lower minors.

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