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Archives for July 2011

Indians Sign Dorssys Paulino

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SUNDAY: Hoynes tweets that the signing is now offical. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that the Indians have confirmed the deal.

9:34PM: A deal with Paulino is close, but nothing is definite at this time, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.  The $1.1MM offer figure, however, is accurate.

8:57PM: The Indians do not currently have a signed contract for a Dominican prospect, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

4:13PM: The Indians have signed Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino to a deal with a $1.1MM signing bonus, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.

Paulino, 16, is said to have one of the better bats among infielders in this year's class.  His 5-foot-11, 175 pound frame might mean that he's better suited for second or third base than shortstop.

The youngster is the son of Jesus Sanchez, a left-handed pitcher who played for the Marlins, Cubs, Rockies, and Reds from 1998-2004.

Royce Ring Exercises Out Clause With Mariners

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Reliever Royce Ring has exercised his out clause with the Mariners and is now a free agent, MLBTR has learned.  Ring, 30, signed a minor league deal with the M's in December of 2010.

After posting a 1.93 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 42 Triple-A innings for the Yankees' affiliate in 2010, Ring hasn't been able to find similar success in 2011.  In 27 apperances for Triple-A Tacoma, Ring has a 6.08 ERA with 12.5 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.

Pirates Sign Elvis Escobar

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The Pirates have signed Venezuelan center fielder Elvis Escobar for $570,000, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  This is yet another significant international signing by the Pirates who inked Colombian outfielder Harold Ramirez to a deal yesterday.

Escobar is a 5-foot-9, 165-pound lefty with advanced baseball instincts and feel for hitting, Badler writes.  The 16-year-old is the son of Jose Escobar, who played ten games with the Indians as a middle infielder in 1991. His older brother, Giants lefthander Edwin Escobar, signed with the Rangers for $350K in 2008. Escobar is also a cousin of Kelvim Escobar and Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.

Dodgers Not Ready To Sell

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Even though the Dodgers find themselves in the cellar of the NL West, GM Ned Colletti says that it's too early to go into selling mode, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.

"We haven't been healthy all year, but I still don't think we've played as well as we can play," the GM said. "The next three-plus weeks, if we can show some of that, we might be adding people."

The Dodgers could draw interest from contenders in players such as Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll.  Kuroda is in the middle of yet another strong season, posting at ERA of 2.90 with 6.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.  Carroll, meanwhile, is hitting .300/.370/.365 and can play a number of positions.  The Rockies are believed to be interested in Carroll, but Colletti said that he'd have to feel very confident about the return in order to trade within the division.

Olney On Dodgers, Cardinals, Bell, Kazmir

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The Dodgers are playing hard and preparing diligently for every game, but you'd have to be blind to not see the cloud that hangs over the team on a daily basis, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  Because of the club's situation, the team knows that there probably won't be help coming in before the trade deadline.  They've also seen their farm system dry up and their club is no longer a top destination for big-time free agents.   Regardless of who the owner is of the team this time next year, they'll likely need years to repair the damage that has been done.  Here's more from Olney..

  • The Padres are scouting the farm systems of several clubs as the deadline approaches, and the Cardinals are among those clubs.  All along, St. Louis has been a natural fit for Heath Bell or one of the other San Diego relievers.  On Thursday, Olney reported that San Diego has told teams that they're ready to take offers on Bell and Mike Adams.
  • Pitcher Scott Kazmir is expected to pick his next team sometime in the next ten days.  The veteran has met with the Rangers and other clubs are in the mix, such as the Padres.  Kazmir worked out for Texas last week and was healthy for the workout.

Hernandez, Santa Sign Big League Deals

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SUNDAY: The Mariners do not have any agreement with Dominican outfielder Helsin Martinez, M's vice president of international operations Bob Engle told Ben Badler of Baseball America. 

"We did not sign Martinez in the Dominican Republic," Engle said. "That is not correct at all. Whoever put out that information is totally inaccurate."

SATURDAY: Three players from the International Prospects League have signed deals with major league clubs, according to the IPL website.  Elier Hernandez signed for $3.05MM with the Royals, Helsin Martinez signed with the Mariners for $2MM, and Adelin Santa inked a deal with the Tigers for $750K.

Hernandez, 16, is considered by several scouts to be either the top prospect or one of the top prospects to come out of Latin America this year, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The Dominican boasts explosive bat speed from the right side and at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds already possesses a major league body.  Hernandez's bonus is highest of all-time for an international amateur outfielder.

Many scouts say that the Martinez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, has the best right-handed power in Latin America among this year's July 2-eligible players, Badler writes.  The newest member of the Mariners organization is a corner outfielder who stands at 6-foot-5 and 190-pounds.

Santa, a 16-year-old Dominican third baseman, is the least-heralded of the three prospects but stands out for his raw power and arm strength, according to Badler.

July 2nd Signings Roundup

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The Rangers made a huge splash early on today when they reached agreement on a deal with Nomar Mazara for more than $5MM.   Hours later, we learned that Texas inked fellow Dominican outfielder Ronald Guzman to a deal with a healthy $3.5MM signing bonus.  General Manager Jon Daniels & Co. spent some serious coin on the international free agent market today, but they weren't the only ones..

  • Rangers: Approximately $8.5MM.  Nomar Mazara (approx. $5MM), Ronald Guzman ($3.5MM).
  • Royals: $3.05MM.  Elier Hernandez ($3.05MM).
  • Mariners: $2MM.  Helsin Martinez ($2MM).
  • Cubs: $1.1MM.  Enrique Acosta ($1.1MM).
  • Padres: $1.1MM.  Jose Ruiz ($1.1MM).
  • Pirates: $1.05MM.  Harold Ramirez  ($1.05MM).
  • Mets: Approximately $1MM.  Jose Garcia (less than $1MM).
  • Tigers: $750K.  Adelin Santa ($750K).
  • Cardinals: $650K.  Dewin Perez ($450K), Jose Godoy ($200K).
  • Twins: $650K.  Miguel Gonzalez ($650K).
  • Braves: $230K.  Iosif Bernal ($230K).
  • Astros: $220K.  Arturo Michelena ($220K).
  • Indians: $200K.  Francisco Miguel ($200K).

By the way, tell your Spanish-speaking friends to check out our sister site Rumores de Béisbol, where you can catch all the latest rumors with a Latin American focus.

Rays Grant Chris Bootcheck His Release

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The Rays have granted right-hander Chris Bootcheck his release from Triple-A Durham, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  Topkin reported yesterday that Bootcheck was expected to exercise his July 1st opt-out.

Bootcheck, 32, signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay in February.  The right-hander hasn't appeared in the majors since 2009 when he was with the Pirates.  In six major league seasons, the veteran owns a 6.54 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Rangers, Astros, Hendry

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Some Quick Hits for Saturday night..

  • The Mariners are looking for bullpen help in addition to bats and they've shown interest in what the Padres have, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  However, the M's aren't likely to overpay for a rental and they'd much prefer players under who are under control for '12 (also via Twitter).
  • The Rangers appear to be close to another international signing, writes Enrique Rojas for ESPNDallas.com.  The club is nearing a deal with Dominican pitcher Pedro Payano for $500-600K.
  • A few inexpensive international signings went down today.  The Astros signed Venezuelan shortstop Arturo Michelena for $220K according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The Braves signed Iosif Bernal, a Panamanian outfielder, for a $230K bonus and the Indians inked Dominican outfielder Francisco Miguel for $200K, writes Badler.  The Cardinals signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Godoy for $200K, says Badler.
  • Cubs GM Jim Hendry said that he's not concerned about what other people have to say about his job security in an interview on ESPN1000.

Mets Sign Jose Garcia

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The Mets have signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Garcia, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Exact bonus terms have not been made available, but Badler tweets that the backstop got "sandwich-round type money", less than $1MM.

Garcia has received high praise for his catching intangibles and level, line-drive swing.  The 16-year-old is a switch hitter with below-average power, though some scouts think that his power could improve somewhat.  The Mets have been tied to Garcia for some time.

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