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Archives for June 2012

Blue Jays Sign Matt Smoral

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9:07pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that Smoral's deal is worth exactly $2MM.

JUNE 18, 8:52pm: Smoral has officially signed with the Blue Jays, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (on Twitter).

JUNE 13: Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says that negotiations between the club and Smoral are ongoing, writes John Lott of the National Post.

JUNE 6TH, 5:50pm: Smoral's deal is worth roughly $2MM, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

3:41pm: The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with supplementary first round selection Matt Smoral, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports (on Twitter). Smoral appeared to have confirmed the news on his personal Twitter account. 

The Blue Jays selected the high school left-hander with the 50th overall selection on Monday as compensation for losing reliever Frank Francisco to the Mets. The recommended bonus for the 50th overall selection is $1MM, according to Baseball America.

Red Sox Intensify Efforts To Trade Youkilis

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The Red Sox have intensified their efforts to trade Kevin Youkilis over the past 24-48 hours, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One high-ranking National League official told the FOX Sports duo that Youkilis is being "shopped everywhere." The Red Sox are willing to include cash to facilitate the acquisition of better players in return.

Rosenthal and Morosi list the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, and Pirates as teams with interest in Youkilis. They also note that the Reds are not interested, despite Youk's Cincinnati roots.

Scouts are expected to be on-hand this weekend to watch Youkilis and the Red Sox take on the Marlins. The 33-year-old corner infielder is in the midst of a 1-for-21 slump and has seen his triple slash line plummet to .215/.301/.345. He'll earn more than $7MM over the remainder of this season, and an acquiring team would have the option of picking up a $13MM option or paying a $1MM buyout.

Recently, it was reported that D-backs GM Kevin Towers was "reluctant" to pursue Youkilis.

Blue Jays Sign Shawn Hill

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According to a report from the York Dispatch, the Atlantic League's York Revolution announced that the Blue Jays have signed Shawn Hill to a minor league contract.

The 31-year-old Hill made his Major League debut with the Expos in 2004, and also appeared for the Nationals, Padres, and Blue Jays from 2006-2010. The Ontario-born right-hander has a 4.74 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 48.9% groundball rate in 239 big league innings. Stats such as FIP (4.02) and SIERA (4.45) suggest that Hill has pitched better than his ERA would indicate.

This season, in 29 2/3 innings for the Revolution, Hill has totaled a 2.93 ERA and a 21:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. More impressively, he finished his time in independent ball by firing off 27 2/3 scoreless innings. The Blue Jays are hurting for pitching depth after placing Brandon Morrow and Drew Hutchison on the disabled list and losing Kyle Drabek to Tommy John surgery recently. Beyond that, both Jesse Litsch and Dustin McGowan are on the 60-day disabled list.

Angels Designate David Pauley For Assignment

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The Angels have designated right-hander David Pauley for assignment, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (Twitter link). Infielder Andrew Romine has been recalled to take his roster spot.

The 29-year-old Pauley appeared in five games for the Angels this season, totaling a 4.35 ERA in 10 1/3 innings of work. He struck out just four batters while walking three (one intentional) and allowing a whopping 16 hits. Pauley, typically known as a groundball pitcher, induced them at just a 29.3% clip in this season's small sample.

For his career, he sports a 4.51 ERA (which matches his 4.51 FIP exactly), 5.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 47.7% groundball rate over 203 1/3 Major League innings. In addition to the Angels, he's seen time with the Mariners, Red Sox, and Tigers.

This is the second time Pauley has been DFA'ed by the Angels this season, with the previous instance coming back on May 23. He went unclaimed and was outrighted to Triple-A a few days later.

Draft Signings: Chargois, Lovegrove, Oswalt

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The latest noteworthy draft signings from around MLB, starting with a trio of pitchers…

  • The Twins have signed second round selection J.T. Chargois, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter). Chargois served as Rice's closer, and Callis notes that he can get his 93-95 mph fastball as high as 98 mph to go along with a plus curveball.
  • The Indians signed third round selection Kieran Lovegrove for $400K, as Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported yesterday. The high school right-hander has a fastball that sits in the low 90s and has touched 94. His slider can be a wipeout pitch, and he has the makings of a decent changeup, according to Baseball America. The ASU recruit was born in South Africa, and he played some cricket growing up. He and two teammates have their own charity, the Going to Bat foundation.
  • The Mets signed seventh round selection Corey Oswalt for an over-slot bonus of $475K, Callis reports (on Twitter). The projectable high school right-hander has a fastball that sits in the 89-92 mph range.

Rockies, Blue Jays Discussing Guthrie Deal

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4:01pm: The Rockies and Blue Jays are still discussing Guthrie, Renck reports (Twitter links). There's a potential fit, but the Rockies would like someone other than McDade. As many as four clubs are interested, Renck reports.

MONDAY, 7:57am: The Rockies are looking to move Guthrie's salary for one prospect, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). Renck confirms that the Rockies and Blue Jays have discussed a possible deal.

SUNDAY: The Rockies are ready to part ways with Jeremy Guthrie and have informed the rest of the league that the right-hander is available immediately, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Count the Blue Jays as one of Guthrie's potential suitors as Toronto has contacted Colorado to discuss the framework of a possible deal, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. One trade scenario would have the Jays assuming a major portion of Guthrie's contract as the Rockies would receive only a lower-tier prospect such as Double-A first baseman Mike McDade.

The former Orioles ace has struggled both on and off the mound since arriving in Colorado during the offseason. Known for his propensity to ride his bicycle to the ballpark, Guthrie landed on the disabled list in April when the chain on his bike popped, causing him to fall on his pitching shoulder. After pitching to a 4.12 ERA in five seasons with the O's, Guthrie has been prone to the home run in Denver as he's posted a 6.91 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 10 starts. 

Astros Sign McCullers

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MONDAY: The Astros announced that they signed McCullers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).

SUNDAY, 4:44 pm: McCullers will receive a $2.5MM bonus, the most over slot so far this year, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle tweets McCullers' bonus is between the slot values of the 12th and 13th overall picks and was made possible by the savings on the signing of Carlos Correa.

4:05 pm: The Astros will sign their supplementary first round draft choice right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers pending the successful completion of a physical Monday morning, reports Laura Keeley of the Tampa Bay Times. The recommended slot value for the 41st selection is $1,258,700. The Astros received the pick as compensation for losing Clint Barmes.

According to Baseball America, McCullers has a strong, athletic body and pitches with power and aggression. The majority of scouts believe he projects as a reliever. McCullers will forego his scholarship to the University of Florida.  

National League Notes: Guthrie, Rodriguez, Appel

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The Phillies (31-37), Brewers (30-36) and Diamondbacks (32-34), last year's division winners in the National League, have all lost more games than they've won to this point in the season. Here's some news from the NL…

  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Rockies to trade Jeremy Guthrie (Twitter link). The Blue Jays have some interest in Guthrie, so it’s a question of how quickly trade talks develop.
  • A Nationals official said Henry Rodriguez is “not going anywhere" even though the Nationals have a crowded bullpen, according to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider.
  • In response to a reader question, Jim Callis of Baseball America explains that first round selection Mark Appel couldn’t necessarily become a free agent by refusing to sign with the Pirates then spending a season in Japan. MLB would likely attempt to ensure that Appel remained eligible for the 2013 draft. Callis suggests it's in Appel's best interest to sign with Pittsburgh for $3.5-4MM.

Trade Candidate: Alfonso Soriano

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Look up any recently–published list of baseball's worst contracts and you won't have to read for long before encountering Alfonso Soriano's name. The eight-year, $136MM deal Soriano signed following the 2006 season remains a regrettable one for the Cubs, but that shouldn't obscure the fact that Soriano remains a modest offensive threat. In a trade market that doesn't yet feature impact hitters, Soriano figures to draw interest this summer.

Alfonso Soriano - Cubs (PW)

Presumably, the Cubs will be paying most of his salary in any trade. Soriano will earn $18MM per season through 2014, which means $47MM or so remains on his contract. The Cubs, who already seem willing to sell, are reportedly willing to pick up most of Soriano’s salary to facilitate a trade. It'd be a surprise if they absorb less than $35MM of Soriano’s contract.

Soriano has a .266/.315/.480 batting line so far this year. All 12 of his home runs have come since May 15th, so he's still capable of impressive bursts of power. He has a career .276/.345/.519 line against left-handed pitching, which will make him appealing to teams that struggle against southpaws, or teams in search of power.

Yet Soriano’s an exceptionally aggressive hitter (only 12 qualified hitters swing at a higher percentage of pitches) who doesn't walk or get on base much relative to the rest of the league. His value on offense is closely tied to his power and, now that he's 36, it's unclear how much longer he'll continue producing at this level.

A number of contending teams could have interest in Soriano. The Indians rank 29th in MLB with a .630 OPS against left-handed pitching, and they have a potential opening in left field. The Pirates rank 22nd with a .678 OPS against lefties and could create at bats for Soriano. The Tigers haven't enjoyed much production from their DH spot or from right field, and they’d like to add a right-handed bat. The Nationals lead the NL East, yet their left fielders are last in the game in OPS. 

Soriano has a full no-trade clause, but he has said he’s willing to accept a deal if the Cubs propose to move him to a contender. Non-contenders probably wouldn’t have interest in Soriano given his age and salary, so the no-trade clause may not be a major obstacle.

Back in 2004, Soriano was traded for 28-year-old Alex Rodriguez. Eight years later, his trade value is nowhere near that high. It's hard to imagine any general manager agreeing to part with an elite prospect for Soriano, regardless of how much salary the Cubs take on. Even so, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer could be motivated to move Soriano if the Cubs can obtain an intriguing young player for him and shed some salary in the process.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Red Sox Notes: Pitching, Morales

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There's deep, multi-layered unhappiness among Red Sox players and staff, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Complaints are starting to spread across baseball and some within the Boston organization are already talking about looking for work elsewhere in the future, according to Olney. However, Olney points out that the Red Sox could win in spite of the bad energy, as the Yankees did in 1977-78. Here’s more detail on the 33-33 Red Sox…

  • The Red Sox are looking for a starting pitcher, according to Olney.
  • Franklin Morales has become a key contributor for the Red Sox after falling out of favor in Denver, as Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains. "We wanted to commit to turning him into a guy for us,” Boston GM Ben Cherington has said. Morales, who pitched effectively in a start against the Cubs last night, has a 3.14 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings this year.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Red Sox can still win the AL East if they put Daniel Bard back in the bullpen, dump Kevin Youkilis sooner rather than later, acquire a starting pitcher and remain patient.

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