Rays To Sign Second-Rounder Jacob Thompson
Jacob Thompson, a second-round pick of the Rays (66th overall) in the Amateur Draft, intends to sign with the club on Wednedsay, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Thompson informed the Times of his decision via text message.
Thompson, 20, is a right-handed starter out of Long Beach State. His signing means that Tampa Bay now has three of their top five selections under contract, including first-rounder Justin O'Conner and second-round pick Derek Dietrich.
Phillies Appear To Be Standing Pat For Now
Philadelphia fans hoping that a trade might snap the Phillies out of their recent poor form may be waiting for a while. Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. spoke to reporters today in New York and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki passes on the news that Amaro doesn't think a roster overhaul is necessary.
"We're not making any major moves here," Amaro said. "This is our team out here and they'll be fine. If we get the guys healthy we'll be fine."
Amaro's comments about the Phillies' lineup ("I don't know if there's anybody better than the players we [have] …we have one of the best nine in the game") seem to indicate that acquiring a position player isn't in the works. The Phillies' problem isn't that their lineup has any obvious holes, it's just that proven stars like Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are in the midst of slumps.
When asked about acquiring pitching, however, Amaro didn't outright dismiss the possibility that his club might pursue an arm. Amaro said that J.A. Happ and Ryan Madson returning from the disabled list "gives us quite a bit of depth," but left unsaid was what the team might do if either hurler has a setback, or isn't up to form once they're off the DL.
Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News pointed out yesterday that the Phillies' large payroll and lack of top prospects (besides Domonic Brown) might also be a factor in a lack of trade deadline action. Even if the Phillies do decide to add a pitcher or some other player for the stretch run, it will likely be a lower-level acquistion rather than the likes of a Cliff Lee.
Amateur Draft Signings: Tuesday
We'll probably have to wait a little while for Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Jameson Taillon to sign, but teams have agreed to deals with some of the players selected later on in the draft. The players listed below signed today. Click here for the list of picks to sign yesterday and here for the updated list of first rounders to sign:
- The Rangers signed four picks, reports ESPNDallas.com, including third-rounder Jordan Akins and fourth-rounder Drew Robinson.
- As reported earlier, Toronto signed 14 picks, including supplemental rounders Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard.
- Thirteenth-rounder Robby Price is the highest-drafted of the five Rays picks who signed today, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Eight more Orioles picks have signed, says Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Riley Hornback (12th round) is the highest selected of the new signees.
- The Brewers have signed fourth-rounder Hunter Morris and two other draft picks, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- LoHud.com's Chad Jennings reports that the Yankees have signed 13 picks, with eight-rounder Kyle Roller the highest-drafted of the bunch.
- The Padres signed second rounder Jedd Gyorko and fourth rounder Chris Bisson pending physicals, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).
- The Royals signed seven more draft picks, including eighth rounder Michael Mariot.
- The Pirates signed six late round selections, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter).
Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post.
Mets Release Gary Matthews Jr.
The Mets have released Gary Matthews Jr., according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The Mets designated the outfielder for assignment earlier in the month and requested release waivers for Matthews over the weekend. The 35-year-old now joins the likes of Rocco Baldelli and Jermaine Dye on our list of free agent outfielders.
Unlike Baldelli, Dye and a number of other free agent outfielders, Matthews has been playing in the major leagues this year. However, his numbers are not good. He posted a .190/.266/.241 line in 65 plate appearances for the Mets. It's not much to draw conclusions from, but Matthews has not hit or defended well in recent years.
Odds & Ends: A’s, Reds, Murton, Maya, Chipper
Links for Tuesday, as Andy Pettitte and Tim Lincecum celebrate birthdays…
- A's assistant GM David Forst tells MLB.com's Jane Lee that the club would like to add depth to its lineup, even after the Conor Jackson trade (Twitter link).
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the club would consider trading for or signing a reliever.
- The Hanshin Tigers will pick up Matt Murton's option for 2011, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter). Jack Moore of FanGraphs recently updated us on Murton's success in Japan.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America hears that the Mariners will likely sign right-hander Jose Torres for $800K (Twitter link).
- MLBTR has an internship opportunity for a limited number of regular readers. Any skilled and experienced writers with an eye for detail should describe their experience as writers and editors in a couple sentences and e-mail mlbtrintern@gmail.com by the end of the day.
- Yunesky Maya was already unblocked, but he can sign with anyone now that he has been cleared by the FAC office, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com (link in Spanish).
- Chipper Jones could announce that he will retire after the season, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle says Nationals GM Mike Rizzo misread Stephen Strasburg and should have called him up early on in the season.
- From what Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog gathers, the Mets and Mariners have talked a lot about Cliff Lee.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik declined to comment on whether the team would trade Lee now, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Jay Greenberg of the New York Post says the Mets seem likely to keep relying on R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi, as tempting as Roy Oswalt may be.
- Buck Showalter and Phil Garner both told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli that the O's have yet to contact them about managing the club.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests the Cubs could benefit from becoming sellers. – it just wouldn't be an easy sell to the fan base.
- David Ortiz tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he misses Manny Ramirez, though the two didn't socialize much beyond the ballpark.
Blue Jays Sign Aaron Sanchez
The Blue Jays signed supplemental round pick Aaron Sanchez, according to the team. The Jays formally announced the signing of Noah Syndergaard, another right-hander the club selected in the supplemental round, and 12 other draft picks.
Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that the Blue Jays signed Sanchez for $775K and Syndergaard for $600K.
Sanchez, a high schooler who batted .542 as a junior, has a 91-93 mph fastball that intrigued scouts. Baseball America ranked Sanchez, who had committed to the University of Oregon, 59th among draft-eligible prospects. He and Syndergaard are two of the four righties the Blue Jays selected with their top four picks this year. Deck McGuire and Asher Wojciechowski have yet to sign.
Tigers Release Adam Everett
The Tigers released Adam Everett, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. They didn't find any takers for the shortstop after designating him for assignment about ten days ago. The Tigers signed Everett to a one-year $1.55MM deal that had the potential to become a bargain.
Everett has always been a terrific defender, and though the sample size is limited, UZR suggests his glove has been good once again in 2010. Everett made just one error this season, but his batting line fell to .185/.221/.247 in 89 plate appearances, so the Tigers were willing to let him go.
Despite his poor performance at the plate, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Everett sign on with someone. There aren't many reliable free agent middle infielders, especially not with Everett's defensive ability.
Rosenthal On Braves, Marlins, Lee, Cubs
The Braves are interested in adding a right-handed hitting outfielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth have not hit well for the Braves, and Jason Heyward's now slumping. Eric Hinske has played tremendously, but can't be expected to post an OPS near 1.000, so the Braves may deal from pitching depth for a bat. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Marlins are actively seeking relief help.
- Rosenthal says the Cardinals, Reds and Brewers – yes, the Brewers – could be interested in Cliff Lee this summer. The Brewers could provide the Mariners with a hitter like Corey Hart or Mat Gamel and trade Lee to a third team for younger pitchers.
- The Cubs would love to deal Kosuke Fukudome, but he will earn more than $21MMM between now and the end of 2011, so trading him will not be easy. Click here for more from Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi on Fukudome's availability.
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will probably look to acquire a reliever this summer.
Mark Mulder Retires
Mark Mulder has only appeared in six games since 2006, but it wasn't until yesterday that the left-hander officially announced his retirement. Mulder, 32, told Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse that he has retired from baseball and is instead devoting himself to becoming a better golfer.
A few months ago, it seemed that Mulder could return to pitch this season, since he was not ready to retire. The Brewers then seemed like a possible destination, but Mulder hasn't touched a baseball since February, so his baseball career is over.
"I guess I have retired," Mulder said.
The two-time All Star was one third of Oakland's "Big Three," along with Barry Zito and Tim Hudson. Mulder retires with a 103-60 record, a 4.18 ERA in 1314 innings, 834 strikeouts and, according to Baseball-Reference, about $33MM in career earnings.
The A's got more than memories from Mulder. They obtained Dan Haren for him in 2004, and later flipped Haren for Brett Anderson and others, so there are traces of Mulder on the current A's team.
A’s Acquire Conor Jackson
The A's acquired Conor Jackson from the D'Backs for righty Sam Demel, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (Twitter link). The A's note that they are receiving cash to cover part of Jackson's $3.1MM salary (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the D'Backs will cover about $400K of the remaining $1.85MM (Twitter link).
Jackson, 28, is hitting .238/.326/.331 in 172 plate appearances this year. He missed most of last season with Valley Fever and has had some hamstring problems in 2010. Jackson has spent most of the season in left field, though he has considerable experience as a first baseman, too.
Despite Jackson's slow start at the plate and history as an average defender, the A's weren't the only interested team. The Rangers were also exploring a deal for Jackson, who will be a non-tender candidate after the season.
D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes says the club acquired Demel since he's "another quality arm in [the team's] attempt to improve the bullpen." The 24-year-old righty has pitched well at Triple A this year. Demel has a 1.26 ERA in 28.2 innings, with 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. It's the best season the 2007 third rounder has had as a pro. Demel was not ranked among Oakland's top 30 prospects by Baseball America before the season, but the D'Backs (7.33 bullpen ERA) need relievers badly.
Arizona is considering major moves and one executive tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the club is ready to "blow things up" (Twitter link).