Brewers Sign Clint Coulter
The Brewers announced that they have signed first round selection Clint Coulter. The team is holding a news conference to announce the deal for the catcher, who completed his physical in Milwaukee earlier today.
Coulter will obtain a $1.675MM bonus, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports. That's precisely the amount MLB recommends for the 27th overall selection. The Brewers also announced the signing of outfielder Victor Roache, the 28th overall selection on Monday.
Quick Hits: Manny, Wolff, Marin, Rangers
It was on this day in 1966 that the Mets made one of the most infamous draft blunders in history, taking Steve Chilcott with the first overall pick of the June amateur draft. Chilcott became the first #1 pick to never play a game in the Major Leagues, while the A's fared a bit better with the #2 selection — Reggie Jackson.
Let's check out some news from around baseball as we prepare for some interleague action…
- Athletics GM Billy Beane said no decision has been made about releasing Manny Ramirez, reported Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News, though Beane also wasn't sure when or if Ramirez would be called up to Oakland. Ramirez has completed his 50-game suspension but has been hampered by a leg injury and isn't hitting well in Triple-A.
- In a radio appearance on 95.7 FM The Game, Athletics managing general partner Lew Wolff said that he wants to keep the team in the Bay Area and his ownership group has no plans to sell the A's. Wolff predicted that in five years, the A's would be playing in a new stadium in San Jose. (All links at to Twitter.)
- The Orioles have signed third-round pick Adrian Marin, as announced by Marin himself on his Twitter page. Marin is a high school shortstop who was originally committed to the University of Miami.
- The Rangers announced the signings of 18 draft picks, including all of their selections between the fourth and tenth rounds.
- The Tigers shouldn't trade top prospect Nick Castellanos in an effort to win this season at the sake of the minor league system, writes Jamie Samuelsen for the Detroit Free Press.
- ESPN's Keith Law examines how teams' first-round draft picks fit in among their organizations' other top prospects.
- The Twins have hurt themselves by not dealing veterans at the trade deadline in recent years and shouldn't make that same mistake again this season, opines Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Souhan does name a few players, however, he thinks the Twins shouldn't deal: Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, Jamey Carroll and Josh Willingham.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes an early look at the trade deadline in his latest Hot Corner video, naming the Twins, A's, Padres and Cubs as the few clubs who are clear sellers, with the Cubs "probably the biggest seller out there." Rosenthal also thinks the Astros will likely join this group as they want to get rid of their high-priced veterans, though Houston is playing well right now.
- In terms of potential sellers, Rosenthal names the Brewers, as they could look to move Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and/or Francisco Rodriguez if they fall out of contention. The Phillies "are kind of hanging on a precipice" in the tough NL East and unless they get more concrete news about the health of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay, Philadelphia could become sellers as well and look ahead to 2013.
- Fredric Horowitz has been hired as the arbitrator between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association, reports the Associated Press. Horowitz replaces Shyam Das, who was fired in the wake of his decision to lift Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension for a positive drug test.
Mets Agree To Terms With Gavin Cecchini
9:49pm: Cecchini's contract is worth $2.3MM, reports MLB.com's Quinn Roberts. The deal is expected to be made official on Friday once Cecchini passes his physical.
6:23pm: The Mets have agreed to terms with first-round pick (12th overall) Gavin Cecchini, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. The deal is pending a physical. The recommended slot price for the 12th overall pick is $2.55MM, though no terms of Cecchini's agreement with the club have been revealed. Cecchini, 18, is a high school shortstop from Louisiana who had committed to the University of Mississippi.
NL East Notes: Soler, Egbert, Braves
R.A. Dickey was masterful again today, throwing 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball in the Mets' 3-1 victory over the Nationals. Dickey has now thrown 24 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and is approaching Jerry Koosman's club record scoreless inning streak of 31 2/3 innings.
Here's the latest from around the NL East…
- The Marlins are not pursuing Jorge Soler, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). The Marlins didn't submit an offer by Thursday, the deadline set by Soler's representatives for teams to propose a contract for the Cuban outfielder.
- Mets right-hander Jack Egbert has cleared waivers and will go to Triple-A Buffalo, reports ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Egbert was designated for assignment on Tuesday.
- The Braves signed third-round draft pick Bryan De La Rosa, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. De La Rosa, a high school catcher, signed for his exact slot value of $408.3K.
- In NL East news from earlier today, the Nationals signed several draft picks and outlined their draft day strategy, while the Braves and Mets each reached agreements with their first-round picks.
AL East Notes: Reyes, Rundles, Blue Jays
David Price is set to face C.C. Sabathia in the Bronx tonight, but this battle of lefty aces has been pushed back to 6:30 CST due to a rain delay. While you're waiting, check out these notes from around the AL East…
- The Yankees have signed 22-year-old Dominican right-hander Manolo Reyes, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The contract is worth $600K but is contingent on Reyes obtaining a visa and passing an MLB investigation into his identity and age, as Reyes has already served one year-long suspension due to problems with his paperwork. Reyes was originally signed by the Braves in 2009.
- The Orioles signed left-hander Rich Rundles to a minor league contract. The 31-year-old had been pitching for the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers, who announced the transaction on their website. Rundles appeared in nine games (six IP with a 1.50 ERA) for the Indians in 2008-09 and was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1999 when Dan Duquette was Boston's general manager.
- The Blue Jays are going well under slot with some of their early draft picks, signing tenth-round pick Alex Azor to a $1K bonus (as reported by Chris Toman of MLB.com) and sixth-rounder Eric Phillips to a $5K bonus, according to Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. As Davidi's piece outlines, the Jays' strategy is to free up money in their draft pool to lock up some of their perceived tough-sign picks. One such higher pick, supplemental first-rounder Matt Smoral, has reportedly agreed to sign with Toronto for a signing bonus almost double the recommended slot value.
Astros Sign Carlos Correa
5:41pm: Correa's bonus is worth $4.8MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
3:54pm: The deal is official, McTaggart tweets. Luhnow said it's a "monumental day" for the franchise.
THURSDAY, 3:30pm: Correa is in Houston and will sign shortly, Alyson Footer of the Astros reports (on Twitter). The Astros are announcing their deal with the top prospect today.
WEDNESDAY: The Astros have a verbal agreement to sign first overall selection Carlos Correa, according to owner Jim Crane, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports (on Twitter). GM Jeff Luhnow said earlier in the week that he expected to sign the Puerto Rican shortstop by Thursday.
Terms of the deal are not yet known but sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that it will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM. The Astros took signability into heavy consideration and reportedly didn't settle on selecting Correa until the eleventh hour. Pitcher Mark Appel, a Scott Boras client who fell to eighth overall, allegedly rejected a $6MM offer from Houston.
Crane says that the team's deal with Correa is structured in such a way that it will allow the club to also retain some of its favorite picks, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The Astros will likely need to spend big in order to sign No. 41 pick Lance McCullers Jr., a right-hander who has committed to play for the University of Florida.
Nationals Notes: Draft Signings, Mooneyham
Nationals scouting director Kris Kline discussed his club's draft today with the media, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post….
- The Nationals have agreed to terms with second baseman Tony Renda (second round), outfielder Brandon Miller (fourth round) and catcher Spencer Kieboom (fifth round). The team has also agreed to terms with "several college seniors taken in later rounds."
- Kline believes third-round pick Brett Mooneyham will sign "relatively quickly." Mooneyham, a left-handed pitcher out of Stanford, is advised by Scott Boras. Kline spoke highly of Mooneyham's athleticism and potential, describing the pitcher as, at worst, "a Matt Thornton-type bullpen guy."
- The team's draft day war room included a draft board charting prospects by how likely they were to sign. The Nationals called prospects each round with a set bonus figure in mind and asked if they would accept. “If it was a ‘no,’ we passed,” Kline said. “If they were hesitant at all, we passed. You just have to….We had to do our due diligence with signability with everybody with the new system in place, because you have limitations. There’s certain guys that were requiring too much money.”
Royals Sign Kyle Zimmer
4:52pm: Zimmer signed for a $3MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter link).
4:07pm: The Royals have announced the signing of right-hander Kyle Zimmer, their first round pick (and the fifth pick overall) from the 2012 amateur draft. Terms of the deal were not announced, but the slot value for the fifth overall pick is $3.5MM. The Royals have already gone over slot on one pick today, third-rounder Colin Rodgers.
Zimmer, 20, was considered to be a prospect who could be on a relatively fast track to the big leagues. He is expected to make a few starts for the Royals' Arizona Rookie League team before heading to a higher-level minor league club. Zimmer has only been pitching since his freshman year at the University of San Francisco but possesses a strong curveball and a fastball that can reach the mid-90's.
Braves Sign Lucas Sims
THURSDAY: Sims will obtain a bonus of $1.65MM, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). The Braves announced that they have signed Sims (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY: Braves scouting director Tony DeMacio revealed that the club agreed to sign first round pick Lucas Sims, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The right-hander from Georgia's Brookwood High School was tabbed with the 21st overall pick. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed but the pick has a suggested bonus of $1.825MM.
In addition to Sims, the Braves also reached agreement with their other top five selections. That includes second round pick Alex Wood (left-handed pitcher), third round pick Bryan De La Rosa (catcher), fourth round selection Justin Black (center fielder, already signed), fifth rounder Blake Brown (right fielder), and sixth round pick Josh Elander (catcher).
Royals Sign Third-Round Pick Colin Rodgers
The Royals have signed third-round draft pick Colin Rodgers, MLBTR has learned. The Louisiana high school southpaw signed for $700K, exceeding MLB's slot of $476,500 for the 100th overall pick. Rodgers is represented by Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
Rodgers, who had committed to Auburn, told Justin Hokanson of AuburnSports.com he had a tentative agreement with the Royals but had yet to make a final decision. Baseball America ranked Rodgers 207th on their top 500, grading the lefty's curveball as plus when he's at his best.