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Archives for June 2012

Astros To Sign Rio Ruiz

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The Astros are set to sign fourth-rounder Rio Ruiz for $1.85MM, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Houston was able to spend big on the third baseman after signing first-overall pick Carlos Correa for well under the slot recommendation.

Ruiz, who comes out of Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California, was pegged to be a first-round selection before his season was ended prematurely by a blood clot in his neck.  The youngster was believed to be one of the toughest signs out of Houston's 2012 class, along with Lance McCullers Jr. (signed last weekend) and eleventh-round pick Hunter Virant.

Royals Designate Roman Colon For Assignment

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The Royals have designated Roman Colon for assignment, the team announced (on Twitter). He is out of options and can not be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. The move clears a roster spot for left-hander Francisley Bueno.

Colon, 32, allowed six runs on 12 hits in eight innings for Kansas City. He appeared in only three games and it was his third stint with the club. Colon has also pitched for the Braves and Tigers in his career, posting a 5.19 ERA in 187 1/3 innings.

2013 Vesting Options Update

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Let's check in on the players who have vesting options for the 2013 season…

  • Jason Bartlett, Padres – $5.5MM option vests with 432 plate appearances. Bartlett came to the plate just 98 times before being placed on the disabled list with a knee injury. There is no firm timetable for his return and it seems unlikely that the option will vest at this point.
  • Kevin Gregg, Orioles – $6MM option vests with 50 games finished. Gregg has finished just six of the team's 70 games and it seems likely that Baltimore will keep the option from vesting.
  • Brett Myers, Astros – $10MM option vests with 45 games finished or based on a points system. Myers has finished 23 of the club's 70 games and is a trade candidate. If he continues to close, the option seems likely to vest.

Chipper Jones has an option worth $9MM+ that will vest with 123 games played, but he's already rendered the option moot by announcing his plans to retire after the season. Chipper has played in 38 of the Braves' first 70 games.

Alex Gonzalez has an option worth $4MM that will vest with 525 plate appearances, but he is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Gonzalez came to the plate just 89 times before the injury, so the Brewers do not have to worry about this one kicking in.

The Latest On Kevin Youkilis

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Yesterday we learned that the Red Sox have "stepped up their efforts" to trade Kevin Youkilis, who is losing playing time to Will Middlebrooks. After the rookie went 3-for-4 with a homer in last night's game, manager Bobby Valentine told Youkilis that he'll be sitting for a while according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Here's the latest on the Greek God of Walks…

  • A handful of teams are involved in the bidding according to Olney (Twitter link), but one official believes the White Sox are best positioned to swing a deal. It appears as though the Pirates have little interest in Youkilis according to ESPN Boston.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney hears that teams believe Youkilis could be traded at any time, but the feeling is that Boston is just working to get the best offer (Twitter link).
  • The Braves scouted Kevin Youkilis last week, Cafardo tweets. In fact, the Braves scouted him multiple times this past week, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Blue Jays Notes: Rentals, Payroll, Stroman, DeJong

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Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos spoke to reporters about several topics this afternoon, and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca has a recap…

  • Toronto will consider rentals players as they look to add pitching. "In a perfect world, I would always prefer to take on a player with more control," said the GM. "It just fits more with what we’re doing. But we aren’t ruling out short-term players as well."
  • Anthopoulos also acknowledged that they could take on payroll in the right situation. "If it’s a big trade and a big transaction for an impact player, especially someone that we control beyond this year, I don’t see there being any problems at all from that standpoint," he said.
  • "He’s probably the one guy I don’t know at this time the way that one’s going to go," said Anthopoulos about first rounder Marcus Stroman (Twitter link). Slot money for the 22nd overall pick is $1.8MM.
  • As for second rounder Chase DeJong, Anthopoulos said: "It's moving in the right direction, so I would expect that one to get done." Slot money for the 81st overall pick is $620K (Twitter link).

Draft Signings: Flexen, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Nats

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The deadline for signing draft picks is just three weeks away, now that it’s been moved up under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here are the latest noteworthy signings from the second round of the draft and on…

  • The Mets gave 14th round pick Chris Flexen an above slot $374,400 bonus, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). The high school right-hander is represented by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
  • The Dodgers signed third rounder Onelki Garcia for an under-slot $382K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Cuban southpaw owns a 90-93 mph fastball and a good curveball according to Callis.
  • The Dodgers also signed eighth rounder Scott Griggs for $135K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The UCLA right-hander received the full slot value.
  • The Yankees signed third round selection Nathan Mikolas for $400K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school first baseman has a very good bat and some power potential, according to Callis.
  • The Rays signed third round selection Andrew Toles for $397K, Callis tweets. The speedy outfielder is a strong defender in center field, Callis writes.
  • The Nationals announced that they signed third rounder Brett Mooneyham, a left-hander out of Stanford University. Amanda Comak of The Washington Times says (on Twitter) that he received $429K.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Twins Sign Luke Bard

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The Twins have signed supplemental first round pick Luke Bard for $1.227MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. He signed for the full slot value and is the younger brother of Red Sox right-hander Daniel Bard.

Bard, a right-hander out of Georgia Tech, was the 42nd overall pick earlier this month. He was selected with the compensation pick Minnesota received when Jason Kubel signed with the Diamondbacks. Callis says Bard can run his fastball up to 93-95 mph with a hard breaking ball.

Quick Hits: Paulino, Blue Jays, Giants

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Links from around MLB before the season’s final weekend of interleague play begins…

  • The Royals announced that right-hander Felipe Paulino has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 28-year-old will seek a second opinion on his elbow, and could choose to undergo Tommy John surgery. Paulino has a 1.67 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings this year.
  • Executives from other teams and a few MLB owners are paying attention to the Blue Jays' 2010 draft class, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. The Blue Jays chose upside over certainty under then-scouting director Andrew Tinnish and the results are promising so far.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean said he doesn’t expect to trade for starting pitching help, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes (Twitter links).
  • The Giants haven’t started extension talks with Melky Cabrera and the team doesn’t consider Andre Ethier’s five-year, $85MM deal a comparable contract, Sabean said.

Rangers Designate Mark Hamburger For Assignment

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The Rangers designated Mark Hamburger for assignment, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter). The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Roy Oswalt, who joins the team tonight.

The Rangers acquired Hamburger from the Twins for Eddie Guardado in 2008. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in five games for the Rangers last year and has spent this season at Triple-A, where he has a 6.55 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings.

Rays Designate Drew Sutton For Assignment

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The Rays designated infielder Drew Sutton for assignment, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets. The Rays claimed Brooks Conrad off of waivers, reinstated Jeff Keppinger from the disabled list, recalled Brandon Gomes, placed Matt Joyce on the disabled list and optioned Rich Thompson to Triple-A in related moves.

The Rays acquired Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named about a month ago, shortly after the Pirates acquired him from the Braves. Sutton, 28, posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for the Rays this year. The four-year MLB veteran played first, second and third base.

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