Draft Signings: Farinaro, Franklin, Kozikowski
Here are today's notable draft notes and non-first-round signings (all slot info courtesy of Baseball America)…
- After getting fourth-rounder Mason Katz to sign for just $95k (well below his $405,100 slot), the Cardinals were able to ink eleventh-round prep arm Steven Farinaro to a $750k deal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reported yesterday. As Goold explains, the Cards expect to exceed their $6.91MM spending limit by less than five percent, thus avoiding the substantial penalties (forfeited future picks) that attach at that point.
- The Reds have locked up second-round choice K.J. Franklin for $675k, which is more than $150k below the slot recommendation, according to a tweet from Baseball America's Jim Callis. The high-school third baseman was a surprise second-rounder given his 232nd overall rank by BA.
- The Pirates have agreed to a well-above-slot deal with eighth-round pick Neil Kozikowski, tweets Callis. The high-school righty, who has a projectable 6'3" frame, will receive $425k.
Tigers Notes: Closer, Scherzer
The Tigers are eight games above .500, feature a powerful lineup and dominant rotation, and seem as good or better than last year's World Series entrant. According to Fangraphs, Detroit projects to finish with the second-best record in baseball. But the team has one much-discussed weakness: the back of the bullpen. Long rumored to be exploring trade options to fill the closer role, the Tigers will generate even more discussion given the team's recent shedding of incumbent Jose Valverde and the approaching trade deadline. Here are a few notes on that and other topics:
- Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski insists that, in spite of designating Valverde for assignment, the team "still think[s] he can close games for us." As Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press reports, the team hopes Valverde will clear waivers and accept an assignment to Triple-A.
- In the same piece, Sharp offers that the true purpose of Dombrowski's supportive words is to position the club on the trade market. According to Sharp, Dombrowski is confident that the team can take the division even if it bides its time solving its 9th-inning dilemna. By playing it slow, then, the GM is trying to avoid being forced to overpay for a big-name arm well in advance of the trade deadline.
- While the closer role will always get more attention, the Tigers are also looking for better consistency amongst their setup men. The club recently recalled Al Alburquerque, who has dominating stuff but struggles to control it. In his first outing since returning to the big club, his control issues featured prominently. The performance of the club's middle relief/setup corps could also factor into its trade deadline plans.
- Meanwhile, the Tigers have enjoyed incredible production from starter Max Scherzer, who rates in the top five league-wide as measured by fWAR. (In fact, look at the rest of the list and you will notice that the club has four of the league's top twelve starters by that metric.) As FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi writes, Scherzer's breakout has set him up for a big payday. Agent Scott Boras says that Scherzer is "one of the top pitchers in the game," and will enter a "changed" pitching market "when [he] hits it" after 2014. With Scherzer posting remarkable strikeout totals and superior results, he will not only get a nice arbitration raise next year but has greatly raised the price of a hypothetical extension. Detroit may regret not taking up Ben Nicholson-Smith's suggestion before the 2012 season that a four-year, $30MM extension was a fair target. Now, the team will have to decide whether it can afford to lock down both Scherzer and fellow 29-year-old starter Doug Fister, with long-term deals already on the books for Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez.
Minor Moves: Ryan Langerhans
We'll keep tabs on the day's minor moves right here:
- The Blue Jays have released outfielder Ryan Langerhans, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted yesterday. Langerhans, whom the club acquired on a minor league deal over the offseason, was carrying a .220/.338/.435 triple-slash over 199 plate appearances at Triple-A Buffalo. The 33-year-old last saw substantial big league action in 2011, when he played nineteen games for the Mariners and registered a .173/.317/.346 line over 64 plate appearances. Over his ten big league seasons — only three of which included more than 200 plate appearances — Langerhans owns a career .226/.332/.372 line.
Angels To Sign Hunter Green
The Angels will sign second-round pick Hunter Green to a $942k deal today, MLBTR's Chris Cotillo has learned. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reported yesterday that a deal was near. Green, who is advised by Jet Sports Management, receives a bonus right at the slot recommendation for the 59th overall pick with which he was chosen. (Slot bonus info courtesy of Baseball America.)
The left-hander was taken with the Angels' first overall pick. (The club forfeited its first-round choice when it inked Josh Hamilton in free agency.) Had he not signed, Green was destined for the University of Kentucky.
Green appeared higher than his draft slot on many pundits' boards. Baseball America slotted him as the 31st best draft prospect, ESPN's Keith Law put him at number 42, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo rated Green 48th. While placing Green lower than his colleagues, Mayo explained that the still-lanky youngster is projectable both with his body and his three offerings (fastball-curve-change). Law concurred (Insider link), calling Green inconsistent but "very intriguing."
Nelson Figueroa Signs With Taiwanese Team
Nelson Figueroa, who was released by the Diamondbacks in May, has signed with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, MLBTR's Chris Cotillo has learned. The 38-year old right-hander pitched for the Lions back in 2007, and was named Taiwan Series MVP after being the winning pitcher in the first, fourth, and seventh games of the championship series.
In 145 major league appearances with six different teams since 2000, Figueroa has a 4.55 ERA, 6.1 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9. He last appeared in the majors in 2011 with the Astros, and posted a 3.89 ERA, 5.4 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 25 appearances with the Yankees and Red Sox Triple-A affiliates in 2012.
Figueroa joins former major leaguer Randy Keisler on the Lions roster.
Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Cowgill, Iwakuma, Delgado
While Ben Cherington was the only GM that was in attendance for Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez's audition yesterday, the Red Sox aren't the only team with interest in the Cuban right-hander. The Dodgers sent three of their top scouts to Tijuana on Thursday to find out if they might have another exciting Cuban import to join Yasiel Puig, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Agent Jaime Torres declined to say how many clubs sent representatives to the Tijuana showcase but said there was "a great turnout." Meanwhile, Gonzalez is scheduled to put on another display for teams next Friday where he could pitch five innings, tweets Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Here's more from around baseball..
- After designating him for assignment on Tuesday, Mets assistant GM John Ricco acknowledged that the club is soliciting trade offers for Collin Cowgill, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Ricco added that the Mets would try to get Cowgill through waivers and send him to Triple-A Las Vegas if they were unable to get a suitable deal rather than release Cowgill.
- Hisashi Iwakuma's name has popped up in rumors, but the Mariners intend to hang on to him. "Trust me," M's GM Jack Zduriencik told Peter Gammons (on Twitter), "we're not going to trade him." The 32-year-old has a 2.06 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 through 15 starts this season.
- Diamondbacks right-hander Randall Delgado hired Beverly Hills Sports Council, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). You can look up agency info for just about every major leaguer with MLBTR's Agency Database.
AL East Notes: Ramirez, Gonzalez, Yankees, Papelbon
Manny Ramirez wants to return to the Majors, but Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com spoke with an official who doesn't think he'd be a fit with the Yankees, despite the Yanks' recent offensive woes: "Can't see him in the Bronx given all the baggage he brings," said Marchand's source. Marchand also polled readers, who are split about 50-50 on whether or not they would approve of a Ramirez acquisition at this point. Here's more on the AL East…
- Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington was the only Major League GM present to watch Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez's recent showcase in Tijuana, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Numerous other teams were there to see him, though they were represented by scouting directors and assistant GMs. One executive told Rosenthal: “The world was there to see him. A million teams were in there."
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Yankees should consider selling low on Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in order to supplement their roster with some right-handed bats that can help alleviate the team's woes against left-handed pitching. Both are free agents at season's end, and neither is a key component to their success at this point, opines Sherman.
- In light of the Red Sox's recent closer shuffle, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal asks if the best solution is for the Sox to re-acquire Jonathan Papelbon. As MacPherson points out, the Sox have tasked four relievers with replacing Papelbon — Andrew Bailey (twice), Mark Melancon, Alfredo Aceves and Joel Hanrahan — and none have been able to get the job done to this point.
Bootcheck Clears Waivers, Re-Signs With Yankees
Right-hander Chris Bootcheck has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Yankees on Tuesday, MLBTR's Chris Cotillo has learned. Instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Bootcheck elected free agency and immediately re-signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal.
The new deal includes an August 15th opt-out date if he is not in the major leagues, and he will report to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has posted a 3.32 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 11 starts on the season. In 91 career big league games with the Angels and Pirates, the 34-year old has a 6.55 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Huntington, Indians, Uribe
On this date in 1998, Bill Russell was let go as the manager of the Dodgers and replaced in the dugout by Glenn Hoffmann. Meanwhile, longtime GM Fred Claire was let go and Tommy Lasorda took over his job for the remainder of the season. The shakeup didn't do much to help the Dodgers situation – they were in third on June 21st and finished the season in third behind the Padres and Giants. Here's more from around baseball..
- Rumbunter Plus spoke with Pirates GM Neal Huntington on this week's podcast.
- The Tribe Daily asks if the Dolan family has smoothed things out with the Indians' fanbase.
- Lasorda's Lair sticks up for Juan Uribe.
- Pinstriped Bible looks at possible destinations for Phil Hughes.
- Blue Jays Plus discusses the rejuvenation of Brett Cecil.
- Feelin' Kinda Blue delves into the Dodgers' draft strategy.
- Baseball News Source gives some credit to Yankees reliever Shawn Kelley.
- Rays Colored Glasses dissects Wil Myers' strikeout issues.
- Sodo Mojo shines some light on Brad Miller.
- I R Fast asks if Yasiel Puig will be a superstar.
- Climbing Tal's Hill makes the case for Jason Castro getting elected to the All-Star team.
- Pinstripe Pundits sees Michael Young as a possible trade target for the Bombers.
- MLB Reports analyzes the trade market for Yovani Gallardo.
- A's Farm spoke with A's scouting director Eric Kubota.
- The Shea Faithful has ideas for optimizing Lucas Duda.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Draft Notes: Wilson, Williams, Milone, Driver, Ziomek
Here's today's rundown of draft-related news and notable non-first-round signings (slot info courtesy of Baseball America)…
- The Mariners inked second-round selection Austin Wilson to a $1.7MM deal, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The outfielder out of Stanford has huge power potential and a solid arm, according to Callis.
- The Marlins signed second-round pick Trevor Williams for $1.26MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Arizona State right-hander boasts a 90-95 mph fastball and shows strong command.
- The Rays signed third-rounder Thomas Milone to a $530K deal, according to Callis (via Twitter). The Connecticut high school outfielder will enter Tampa Bay's system rather than attend UConn.
- The A's signed seventh-round pick Dustin Driver to a $500K deal, according to Callis (Twitter link), which is more than $300K over slot. The Washington high school right-hander shows promise but lacks a consistent secondary pitch.
- The Tigers have signed second-round pick Kevin Ziomek for the full slot value of $956,600, tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis. The Vanderbilt lefty features a deceptive 89-94 mph fastball, solid changeup and average slider, according to Callis.
- Callis adds (also via Twitter) that the Rays have signed an "interesting" non-drafted free agent in Oregon right-hander Clayton Crum. Callis notes that he didn't pitch often for the Ducks but sits 90-94 mph with his fastball and flashes a good slider at times as well.
Zach Links contributed to this post.