Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring
Some links for Sunday afternoon…
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets that All-Star Joel Hanrahan doesn't have a bonus for being selected to the All-Star Game built into this year's contract with the Pirates, but you can bet his 2012 contract will have one.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Rich Harden could make sense for the Rockies or Diamondbacks if he continues throwing well.
- Olney quotes ESPN's Evan Cohen in this tweet, pointing out that the Dodgers owe $74MM to 40 creditors, which is more than twice the $31MM they have committed to players for 2012.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman spoke to a Yankees executive and says it's unlikely that they pursue Royce Ring (Twitter link), who opted out of his contract with the Mariners today. Ring had a solid 2010 season for the Yanks' Triple-A affiliate.
- The Indians could use an outfielder and Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer outlined some possible trade targets for the Tribe. Ryan Ludwick, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, and Jason Kubel are among the names suggested.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) expects Padres reliever Chad Qualls to be dealt.
- Between Latin American prospects Elier Hernandez and Nomar Mazara, Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Twitter) prefers the potential of Hernandez. Hernandez signed with the Royals yesterday for $3.05MM while Mazara agreed to a record setting deal worth more than $5MM with the Rangers.
Blue Jays Designate Juan Rivera For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated Juan Rivera for assignment and will recall Travis Snider for tomorrow's game, tweets MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm.
Rivera, 32, came to the Jays in the trade that sent Vernon Wells to the Angels back in January. In 271 plate appearances in Toronto, Rivera hit just .246/.310/.365 with six homers. He split his time fairly evenly between left field, first base, and designated hitter, though he did make a handful of appearances in right field as well.
Many were surprised to see the Jays demote Snider, a long-time top prospect who played well when he was healthy in 2010, after just 99 plate appearances this season. Snider hit just .184/.276/.264 but showed significant improvement in the minors, hitting .333/.403/.488 in 226 plate appearances. Snider was rated as the game's sixth-best prospect prior to the 2009 season, and is still just 23 years old despite having 208 Major League games under his belt.
Indians Sign Dorssys Paulino
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.