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Archives for June 2013

Youkilis Out 10-12 Weeks Due To Back Surgery

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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger, that Kevin Youkilis will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc and miss 10-12 weeks (Twitter link). The best-case scenario for Youkilis, based on that timeline, would be a late August return, though the recovery could easily push into September.

Youkilis, 34, signed a one-year, $12MM deal with the Yankees this offseason. He hit a respectable .267/.347/.422 through April 27 before landing on the disabled list with a sprained back. Since returning on May 31, he's hitting just .146/.239/.220.

A strong rebound campaign with the Bombers could've positioned Youkilis to sign a multi-year free agent deal this coming winter. Now, however, a one-year deal seems likely given the lack of production and significant time on the disabled list. The injury-prone corner infielder hasn't appeared in more than 122 games since 2009.

Youkilis never cracked Tim Dierkes' free agent power rankings (and certainly won't now). He'll part of a first base class that is flooded with veterans this offseason in free agency, as Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse, Corey Hart, Mike Napoli, Paul Konerko, Justin Morneau and Mark Reynolds will all be on the market. If he can position himself as a third baseman, Youk's competition will be more scarce, but that could be a tough sell with the back injuries.

Mets Agree To Sign Dominic Smith

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2:54pm: Smith's deal is worth $2.6MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).  That figure is just below the slot recommendation of $2.8MM for the No. 11 overall selection.

2:23pm: The Mets have reached agreement on a deal with first-rounder Dominic Smith, sources tell Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter).  An official announcement from the Mets is coming soon, according to Carig.

Terms of the deal are unknown, but the slot recommendation for the No. 11 pick is $2,840,300, according to Baseball America.  Smith, a high school first baseman out of California, is being advised by the MVP Sports Group.

ESPN's Keith Law ranked Smith as the No. 11 talent available, while Baseball America ranked him 14th, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo ranked him 15th.  All three noted the tremendous upside of Smith's bat and his plus defense at first, with Law in particular noting how rare it is for high school first basemen to be this highly regarded because they're already at the bottom of the defensive spectrum.

Matt Ehalt of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that the Mets and Smith were close to a deal.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Pirates To Sign Reese McGuire

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TUESDAY: McGuire received $2.369MM from the Pirates, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter), so the Pirates saved about $200K.

MONDAY: The Pirates have agreed to a deal with first round draft pick Reese McGuire, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.  According to Mark Zender, McGuire's high school coach, McGuire is on his way to Pittsburgh in order to take his physical and will officially sign tomorrow.  The contract is believed to be worth close to the assigned slot value (via Baseball America) for the 14th overall pick, which is just under $2.57MM.  McGuire is advised by Adam Karon and Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.

McGuire, a left-handed hitting catcher, was rated as the draft's 10th-best prospect by both MLB.com and Baseball America, and was rated 19th by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required).  The Kentwood High School product drew praise for his throwing arm, defensive skills and overall game-calling abilities behind the plate.  While his hitting is still somewhat unpolished, BA notes that "even if he doesn't reach his offensive ceiling, McGuire's defense will allow him to be a big league backup, but if he hits he has all-star potential."

Once McGuire's deal is finalized, he will be the 16th of 33 first rounders to sign.  One of the unsigned is Austin Meadows, the Pirates' other first round selection — the Bucs received the ninth overall pick as compensation for failing to sign Mark Appel following the 2012 draft.

Giants To Sign Christian Arroyo

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11:51am: Arroyo signed for the full slot value of $1,866,500, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).

2:30am: Giants first-rounder Christian Arroyo is in Arizona to take his physical and thus is close to signing with the team, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  Details of the contract aren't known but as the 25th overall pick in the draft, Arroyo's recommended slot bonus (via Baseball America) is between $1.866MM and $1.867MM.  Arroyo is advised by Tom O'Connell of O'Connell Sports Management.

The Giants see Arroyo as a middle infielder and he was drafted as a shortstop, though there is some debate over which position best suits the Florida high schooler.  Some scouts actually see Arroyo as a catcher, and "those who don't think he can catch see him as a tweener, not quick enough for second and not powerful enough for third base," according to Baseball America (BA subscription required).  Arroyo is considered to be a generally good hitting prospect, though ESPN's Keith Law feels "his offensive upside is somewhat limited" and he has some mechanical issues at the plate. 

Arroyo was something of a surprise first round pick in the pundits' eyes, as Law only ranked him 99th on his list of the 100 best draft prospects and Baseball America ranked him 102nd.  He had committed to attend the University of Florida.  Arroyo will be the 17th of this year's 33 first rounders to sign once his deal is finalized.

Quick Hits: Manny, Hanrahan, Top Prospects, Teixeira

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Manny Ramirez is batting .352 for the Taiwanese EDR Rhinos and ranks second in the league with eight home runs. While that might not be enough for MLB teams to show interest in the controversial slugger, he's drawing interest from Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines, according to a Sponichi report (Japanese link). Marines Manager Tsutomu Ito said he'd like to "make an acquisition when the team is strong, as MLB teams do," and that he's looking to give the DH spot to a power hitter. While it seems that Manny will continue to "be Manny" overseas for the time being, here's more from around Major League Baseball…

  • Joel Hanrahan regrets how his brief Red Sox tenure played out and wishes he could've shown more to the fans, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford notes that it's impossible to predict where Hanrahan will end up in free agency this winter, but the two-time All-Star isn't ruling out a return to Boston. Hanrahan told Bradford he "has a lot of things left to prove in Boston."
  • ESPN's Keith Law examines the recent rash of top prospect promotions, offering his expectations for recent call-ups Wil Myers, Gerrit Cole, Mike Zunino and Zack Wheeler (ESPN Insider required).
  • In light of Mark Teixeira re-injuring his wrist, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post questions the Yankees' decision to activate him from the disabled list in the first place. Davidoff points out that the World Baseball Classic paid for the $7.38MM that Teixeira earned while on the DL because he was injured preparing for the tournament. Now that he's been with the Yankees, the team will be on the hook for his remaining $15.12MM of salary even if he misses the remainder of the season.

Thanks to MLBTR contributor Aaron Steen for his assistance with the Japanese report.

Trade Candidate: Jose Veras

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Since the beginning of the 2011 season, there are only 14 relievers who have posted a K/9 greater than 10.0 with a ground-ball rate of 40 percent or better. It's not surprising to see established relief aces like Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters and Sergio Romo on that list, but some might be surprised to see Jose Veras' name in the mix.  Veras

Not only is Veras in the mix, he's second in the group in terms of innings pitched with 169 (John Axford ranks first with 172). Veras has generated little fanfare in recent years, but he's shown the capability to maintain an elite strikeout rate over an extended period of time.

Though his ERA is an uninspiring 4.06, Veras' other numbers look strong. He's punched out 36 hitters in 31 innings (10.5 K/9) while showing the best ground-ball and walk rates of his career. FIP feels that his ERA should be 3.96, xFIP suggests a 3.74 ERA going forward and SIERA is even more bullish at 3.02.

The biggest red flag with Veras has typically been his control, but he's posted a respectable 3.8 BB/9 thus far in 2013, and his 60.3 percent first-pitch strike rate is the highest of his career. It's probably no coincidence that by getting ahead in the count more often, he's been able to up his swinging-strike rate to 10.2 percent.

The 32-year-old Veras signed a one-year deal with the Astros this winter that calls for an affordable $1.85MM base salary and also contains a club option for $3.25MM. His contract also carries incentives based on games finished that could raise this year's salary by $500K and push the option's value north of $4MM.

Veras' control problems have kept him from reaching the elite status among relievers, but his mix of strikeouts and ground-balls is a desirable skill set nonetheless. Add to the mix a contract that is significantly more affordable than that of marquee trade candidates like Jonathan Papelbon and an extra year of team control, and it's logical to expect that Veras will be wearing a new uniform come August 1.

The Astros have made no effort to hide the fact that they're willing to move just about any player on their roster as they completely re-tool the franchise, and Veras should be no exception. He won't fetch an elite prospect in return, but a contending team looking to shore up the eighth or even ninth inning could view Veras as an upgrade, particularly if he has a strong few weeks leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline. The Royals were able to nab Cincinnati's No. 12 and No. 27 prospects (per Baseball America) in exchange for a few months of Jonathan Broxton last season. Broxton had better superficial stats at the time, but a prospect in the middle of a team's Top 30 doesn't seem out of the question for Veras.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Travis Ishikawa Exercises Opt Out Clause

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TUESDAY: Orioles general manager Dan Duquette tells Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that the team is "leaning toward" adding Ishikawa to the roster, but nothing has been finalized yet. The team has until midnight to make a decision (Twitter link).

SUNDAY: Travis Ishikawa has filed a written request to exercise his opt-out clause and become a free agent, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).  The Orioles have 48 hours to add Ishikawa to their 25-man Major League roster, or he will be granted his release from the organization.  The Orioles could also trade Ishikawa during this 48-hour period, MLBTR has learned.

As reported by MLBTR last week, Ishikawa had the ability to opt-out of his contract on Saturday.  While he has performed quite well at Triple-A Norfolk, the O's haven't been able to find room for him on the roster.  The 29-year-old has a .316/.413/.525 slash line with seven homers in 208 Triple-A plate appearances.

Twins, Kohl Stewart Nearing Deal

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The Twins are nearing a deal with prep right-hander Kohl Stewart, the fourth overall pick in the draft, and an announcement could come today, La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Sunday. Indeed, a look at Stewart's Twitter account reveals that he flew to the Twin Cities yesterday (Twitter links).

Baseball America reported in April that the assigned pick value for the No. 4 overall selection is $4,544,400. Stewart was a consensus Top 10 talent in this year's draft, ranking fourth overall according to ESPN's Keith Law, fifth according to Baseball America and seventh according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Stewart has a football commitment to Texas A&M, where he would back up Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel at quarterback, but the industry expectation is that the Twins will be able to sign him.

Draft Signings: Wiper, Healy, Finnegan, Williams

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Here are today's notable signings from the second and third days of the amateur draft.  Information on the assigned slot values is provided by Baseball America…

  • The Rangers have signed tenth-rounder Cole Wiper, Fox Sports Southwest's Anthony Andro tweets.  Wiper signed for a $700K bonus, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports, a far above-slot number that dwarfs the recommended bonus ($135.5K) for the 310th spot in the draft.  Wiper was taken in the 14th round of the 2011 draft by the Blue Jays but he chose college instead, pitching at Oregon and missing the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John surgery.  Wiper, a right-hander, has only thrown 12 innings for Oregon this season.
  • The Athletics have agreed to terms with third-rounder Ryon Healy and sixth-rounder Kyle Finnegan, the team announced on its Twitter feed.  Terms weren't disclosed but Healy's draft position (100th overall) has a slot value of $515.6K and Finnegan's position (191st overall) has a $214.3K slot value.  Healy, an Oregon first baseman, was rated as the draft's 86th-best prospect by Baseball America while ESPN's Keith Law ranked right-hander Finnegan as the 93rd-best member of the 2013 draft pool.
  • The Brewers have signed fourth round pick Taylor Williams, Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets.  Williams, a right-hander from Kent State, signed for a $400K bonus, slightly less than the recommended $417K bonus for the 122nd overall pick.  
  • The Orioles have agreed to terms with fourth-rounder Jonah Heim, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  Heim signed for a $389.7K bonus, exactly matching the recommended slot value for the 129th pick.  Heim, who is advised by Frye McCann Sports, is a switch-hitting high school catcher who had committed to Michigan State.

Quick Hits: Appel, Padres, Jimenez, 2014 Draft

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Despite reports over the weekend that the Astros and first overall pick Mark Appel have already agreed to terms on a below-slot contract, GM Jeff Luhnow today told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and Chris Abshire) that nothing is official and he has yet to meet with Appel or advisor Scott Boras.  "We're trying to move it as fast as we can," Luhnow said. "We wanted to give [Appel] the weekend to enjoy his commencement. We're optimistic we can move it pretty quickly."  Luhnow said he hoped that Appel would be signed by as soon as this week.

Here's the latest from around the majors…

  • Virtually all of the players recently extended by the Padres have struggled, so Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune said the team might look for future extension candidates to prove themselves more fully before signing them to multiyear deals.  Center also discusses several other Padres topics as part of the online chat with fans. 
  • Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez, favored to receive the largest bonus of the coming international signing period, is profiled by Baseball America's Ben Badler.  Jimenez, a 16-year-old with a 6'4", 200-pound frame, was reported to be a major target for the Cubs by Badler last month, and Chicago is still in "heavy pursuit" of the prospect.  Two of the several scouts and international directors who comment in Badler's piece cite Jermaine Dye as a comparable for Jimenez.
  • With the 2013 amateur draft just barely in the books, ESPN.com's Christopher Crawford (Insider subscription required) looks ahead to the 2014 draft, which could be headlined by two NC State products. 
  • FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi looks at ten players who have helped their trade value in recent weeks.  Three of those players (Jesse Crain, Yovani Gallardo and Bud Norris) have recently had their trade stock examined as part of MLBTR's Trade Candidate series.
  • In the video link atop that previous post, Morosi cites the Blue Jays, Padres and Phillies as being "right on the fence" as to whether or not they'll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.  If the three teams do decide to sell, plenty of arms will be available — Morosi lists Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Eric Stults, Jason Marquis, Jonathan Papelbon and Cliff Lee as possible trade chips.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said he has no intention of releasing embattled reliever Carlos Marmol, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.  Manager Dale Sveum said the same yesterday after Marmol allowed four ninth-inning runs in a 4-3 Cubs loss to the Mets.  Marmol has a 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 IP this season.

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