Draft Signings: Mariners, Nats, Pirates, Royals, O’s
Here are the latest draft signings from beyond the first round, with the most recent news at the top of the post….
- The Mariners announced that third-rounder Edwin Diaz and third-round compensation pick Tyler Pike have agreed to terms. Figures weren't announced but Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (via Twitter) reports that left-hander Pike signed for an $850K bonus, well above the recommended slot value of $370.8K. Diaz is a right-handed pitcher and, as the 98th overall pick, has a recommended bonus of $485.7K.
- The Nationals paid second-round pick Tony Renda a $500K bonus, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis (via Twitter). Renda, a second baseman from Cal, carried a recommended bonus price of $630K as the 80th overall pick.
- The Pirates announced the signing of high school pitcher Jon Sandfort, the club's third-round selection. Terms were not disclosed, but Jim Callis tweets that Sandfort signed for his exact recommended bonus of $462.9K.
- The Royals have announced (Twitter link) the signing of Vanderbilt left-hander Sam Selman, the club's second-round draft pick. Selman signed for a $750K bonus, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis, which is below the recommended $781.6K bonus price for the 66th overall pick. The Royals have now signed 28 of 40 draft picks, including all of their picks from the first 11 rounds.
- Another Royals draft signing, fourth-rounder Kenny Diekroeger, will receive a $500K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter link). The recommended price for Diekroeger's draft position was $346.6K.
- The Orioles have agreed to terms with more than 20 draft picks, reports Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. The club is "in the very early or beginning stages" of negotiations with first-round pick Kevin Gausman and second-round pick Branden Kline.
Rockies Sign Max White
The Rockies have signed second-round pick Max White to a $1MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter). It's an above-slot signing for the Rockies, as Major League Baseball has a $701.7K recommended price for the 73rd overall pick.
White, 19, is a high school outfielder who had been committed to attend the University of Florida. The Rockies have now signed or agreed to terms with their top four picks from the 2012 draft.
Cardinals Agree To Sign Carson Kelly
The Cardinals have agreed to sign second-round pick Carson Kelly to a $1.6MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter link). Kelly's bonus is almost triple the recommended $574.3K bonus for the 86th overall pick and, as Callis notes, is the highest any team has gone over a slot price to sign a pick from this year's draft crop. Kelly will take his physical in St. Louis tomorrow, tweets B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest.
Kelly, a high schooler who had committed to the University of Oregon, is regarded as both a third baseman and as a right-handed pitching prospect. The Cardinals indicated they will develop Kelly as a third baseman, as noted by MLB.com's Mike Still in his profile of Kelly following the draft.
Details On Bidders For Padres
3:54pm: The sale is still fluid, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The O'Malley group and Jabara are definitely among the finalists, yet Kaplan isn't as certain and others could be involved.
2:39pm: Gary Jabara, Steve Kaplan, and the family of former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley appear to be the three finalists in the running to purchase the Padres, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports. Jabara, the founder of a wireless communications company, and Kaplan, an investment advisor, are based in Los Angeles/Orange County, rather than San Diego.
Bidders had to be prepared to spend $800MM to become one of the three finalists, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. However, some people say owner John Moores’ asking price isn’t justifiable given the Padres’ revenues, according to Heyman.
Moores could select a buyer by next week, according to FOX Sports. The sale price reflects the team’s rising value, but will also include equity in FOX Sports San Diego.
Cubs Notes: Dempster, Garza
Some links for Thursday afternoon as the Cubs host the Tigers at Wrigley Field…
- Ryan Dempster and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein discussed potential trades yesterday, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports. As many as ten teams have interest in Dempster, who earns $14MM this year and can block any trade. "We discussed a lot of things and obviously there are a lot of things being talked about," Dempster said. I looked at the right-hander’s trade value earlier today.
- Matt Garza said he enjoys playing in Chicago but will embrace the challenge of pitching for another club if necessary, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. "I just want to keep playing. It doesn’t matter where. I’ll pitch on the freaking moon," he said. "The AL East doesn't scare me a bit,” Garza added.
- The Cubs designated catcher Koyie Hill for assignment earlier today, in case you missed it.
Pirates To Sign Barrett Barnes
The Pirates agreed to sign supplemental first round selection Barrett Barnes, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The Texas Tech outfielder will obtain a $1MM bonus. Scott Lacefield, the Texas Tech associate director of athletics communications, first reported the deal on Twitter.
MLB recommended a $1.136MM bonus for the 45th overall selection, which the Pirates obtained as compensation for losing free agent Ryan Doumit. For more detail on top draft bonuses, MLBTR has a list of which supplemental round picks have signed.
Latest On Kevin Youkilis
Ben Cherington said in a recent appearance on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show that there’s nothing going on regarding trade candidate Kevin Youkilis. The general manager acknowledged that several teams checked in on Youkilis “a while back,” but said the Red Sox aren’t looking to make a trade. Here are the details, along with more notes on Youkilis:
- “Right now we're focused on getting Kevin going,” Cherington said. “He's an important part of the team and we know that when he's clicking and feeling good he makes our lineup very tough to pitch to" (quotes via WEEI’s Kirk Minihane). Youkilis, who earns $12MM this year, has a .219/.303/.352 batting line through 145 plate appearances.
- One general manager suggested to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the trade market for Youkilis is far from robust. "Good luck with that,'' the GM said. A Red Sox person told Heyman that there seem to be at least two interested teams, but the White Sox don't seem heavily involved on Youkilis at the moment.
Outrighted: Donnie Murphy
The latest outright assignments from around MLB…
- The Marlins outrighted utility player Donnie Murphy to the minor leagues, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. The Marlins designated the 29-year-old for assignment over the weekend, after he posted a .136/.250/.318 batting line in 52 plate appearances. Murphy has played for the Royals, Athletics and Marlins in seven MLB seasons.
Athletics To Sign Addison Russell
THURSDAY: Russell will receive a $2.625MM bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter), the full slot value for the 11th overall pick.
MONDAY: First round selection Addison Russell told Jason Blakeney of the Pensacola News Journal that he has decided to sign with the Athletics. Russell, the 11th overall selection in last week's draft, will fly to California this week, and advisor Scott Boras will finalize his contract.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Russell said. "Being part of a big league club and being an affiliate of the Oakland A's is a dream come true."
Russell didn't reveal the specifics of his deal with the A's, saying only that they "offered [him] a good chunk of change.” MLB recommends a bonus of $2.625MM for the 11th overall selection, according to Baseball America.
Russell, a high school shortstop, became the first prep player selected by Oakland in the first round since 2001. While some teams wanted to move him to third base, the A's told him he can continue playing shortstop for the time being.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Cubs Designate Koyie Hill For Assignment
The Cubs designated catcher Koyie Hill for assignment, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The Cubs activated Welington Castillo from the disabled list in a related move.
Hill appeared in 11 games for the Cubs this year, collecting six singles and a double in 39 plate appearances. The 33-year-old has experience in nine MLB seasons, but most of his professional career has been spent at the minor league level, where he has a .278 /.344/.410 batting line.