Braves Not Interested In Smoltz Reunion
There figure to be plenty of clubs interested in the recently released John Smoltz, but one of those clubs will not be the Atlanta Braves according to Carroll Rogers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"With the anticipated addition of Tim Hudson in the near future, we have not pursued John Smoltz," Wren said in a text message Monday.
Smoltz is available to any team now for just the pro-rated league minimum.
Draft Updates: D-Backs, Twins, Yankees, Mets
A few more loose draft links…
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Repubic reports that the Diamondbacks have made a new offer to seventh round pick Matt Helm, but it will only be the table for another two hours. Piecoro notes that Helm said he was looking for third round money last month.
- Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune notes that the Twins are stil in talks with first rounder Kyle Gibson. Over the weekend we learned that the two sides were about $1MM apart. Christensen also mentions that 44th rounder Tyler Herr has agreed to terms.
- Peter Abraham of The Journal News says the Yankees have come to an agreement with 21st rounder Joe Talerico.
- ESPN's Keith Law confirms that righty David Buchanan will not be signing with the Mets. He was their sixth rounder.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Magglio, Marlins, Yanks
It's going to be a busy night, so I hope you've got a comfy chair…
- ESPN's Peter Gammons writes that the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg need each other. I have to agree with that.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck notes that the Tigers still have to make a roster move to get the newly acquired Aubrey Huff on the 25-man roster, but GM Dave Dombrowski confirmed it would not involve Magglio Ordonez.
- The Marlins signed second rounder Bryan Berglund for $572,500 according to Baseball America's Jim Callis, a touch over slot. We first learned of this signing over the weekend, but now we have a dollar figure.
- Callis also reports that the Yankees have signed 16th rounder Bryan Mitchell to a deal worth $800,000. Obviously, that's way over slot.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets that 10 of top 15 picks were still unsigned when we woke up this morning, and that that's still the case with less than six hours until the deadline. Should be a fun night.
- Kiley McDaniel of BP says he was told that another club fired an international scout last week for bonus skimming.
Blue Jays Sign Jake Marisnick
According to his Twitter account, Blue Jays third rounder Jake Marisnick has signed with the team. ESPN's Keith Law says he'll receive a $1MM bonus, considerably more than MLB's recommended slot of roughly $310K.
Indians, White At A ‘Standstill’
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports that negotiations between the Indians and first round pick Alex White have "remained at a standstill as of 5 p.m."
"It wouldn't do me any good to say [how the negotiations are progressing]," amateur scouting director Brad Grant said. "We have about eight hours left. One way or another, we'll know by then."
Castrovince mentions that White is believed to be seeking a signing bonus north of $2MM. Drafted 15th overall, MLB's recommended bonus is approximately.$1.557MM.
Draft Updates: White Sox, Tigers, Royals, Phils
4:33pm: John Manuel of Baseball America reports that the Phillies will sign Colvin for $900k, or six times as much as the commissioner recommends. The Phillies have now signed everyone they drafted through the first 13 rounds.
4:22pm: More updates, with under seven hours remaining before the deadline to sign picks…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the White Sox won't sign third rounder Bryan Morgado unless there's a last-minute turn of events.
- Law reports that the Phillies are working towards an agreement with seventh round pick Brody Colvin. However, Law hears that the Phillies aren't on the brink of signing the righty.
- The Tigers had their top three unsigned picks, including first rounder Jacob Turner, undergo physicals today, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- It's too early to tell how their picks will work out, but J.J. Cooper of Baseball America says the Royals are spending aggressively on the draft for the second straight year.
Could The Jays Increase Payroll?
Padres Sign Williams; Tate Is Now In San Diego
The Padres signed their second rounder and appear to be making progress with their first rounder…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the Padres signed second rounder Everett Williams to a deal worth $775k. Some teams considered taking Williams in the first round, but backed off because they feared his bonus demands. Now that he signed for less than $1MM, Law says those fears seem unfounded in hindsight. Williams projects as a top-of-the-order hitter who can play center field.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America hears that first rounder Donavan Tate is in San Diego to take a physical. However, this doesn't mean the Padres will sign Tate, who they selected third overall in June.
Royals Agree To Terms With Chris Dwyer
The Royals agreed to sign fourth rounder Chris Dwyer, according to a team press release. We heard last week that the sides had agreed on a $1.5MM deal, which would have been a record for the fourth round, but the Royals said they hadn't yet completed the deal with the lefty. The team hasn't said how much they agreed to pay Dwyer, who was a highly-regarded quarterback in high school. Jim Callis of Baseball America says the deal is for $1.45MM, just short of Max Stassi's record for a fourth rounder.
Miller Agrees To $2.9MM Deal With Cards
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo hears that Shelby Miller has agreed to sign with the Cardinals for $2.9MM. They selected him 19th overall in the June draft. Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Miller receives the biggest bonus of any first rounder to sign so far this year. It's the second-biggest bonus in Cardinals history.