Archives for June 2013

Mark Teahen Signs With York Revolution

By Steve Adams | June 17, 2013 at 11:58am CDT

Mark Teahen has signed with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Revolution GM Eric Menzer has confirmed the signing via email.

The 31-year-old Teahen hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2011 when he split the season between the White Sox and Blue Jays. Teahen is a career .264/.327/.409 hitter but was never able to replicate the .290/.357/.517 production he showed in his breakout 2006 campaign. He posted a 122 OPS+ that season but has managed just one other season over 100.

This past offseason, Teahen signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks. Arizona attempted to trade him to the Reds, but an issue with Teahen's physical caused the deal to fall through. He asked for his release and signed with the Rangers, but was released from their Triple-A affiliate shortly after that pact.

Teahen is one of many former Major Leaguers trying to use the Atlantic League as a stepping stone back into Major League Baseball. Cotillo notes that he will join former big leaguers Brett Tomko, Michael Wuertz, Andy Marte and Eric Patterson on the Revolution roster. Jason Repko, Dallas McPherson and Juan Rincon have all also spent time with the Revolution this season.

Mets Intend To Keep Parnell

By Steve Adams | June 17, 2013 at 10:17am CDT

The Mets are 14 games below .500 and 13.5 games out of first place in the NL East, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily news reports that the team is unlikely to make closer Bobby Parnell available this summer as the trade deadline draws near.

Martino writes that Mets GM Sandy Alderson considers Parnell a valuable piece for 2014 and is focused on building a team that can contend in the near future rather than loading up on prospects. Rather than deal Parnell, the Mets figure to be on the lookout to acquire outfielders who can help them this year and beyond.

The 28-year-old Parnell has been dominant since the beginning of the 2012 season, posting a 2.56 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 to go along with a 59 percent ground-ball rate. For those who are more sabermetrically inclined, Parnell's sparkling ERA in that time is backed up by FIP (2.76), xFIP (3.19) and SIERA (2.89). As Martino notes, teams like the Reds and Tigers would likely be very interested in Parnell should he become available, but that looks to be an unlikely scenario at this juncture.

Parnell is controlled through the 2015 season and avoided arbitration for the first time this past offseason, agreeing to a $1.7MM salary for the 2013 campaign.

Yankees To Sign Ian Clarkin

By Steve Adams | June 17, 2013 at 8:39am CDT

The Yankees have reached an agreement to sign first-rounder Ian Clarkin for the No. 33 slot's full assigned value of $1,650,100, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Yankees were awarded the No. 33 selection in the draft as compensation when closer Rafael Soriano signed with the Nationals as a free agent this offseason. Clarkin, a prep lefty out of San Diego, is advised by John Boggs & Associates. He will fly to Tampa today to take a physical for the Yankees.

Clarkin ranked 17th on Baseball America's list of Top 500 draft prospects. He was ranked 18th on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Top 100 and ranked 43rd according to ESPN's Keith Law. BA wrote that Clarkin's fastball sits 90-92 mph but can touch 94, adding that he "flashes a plus downer curveball with sharp bite" and has an inconsistent changeup that could be an average pitch.

Clarkin is the second of the Yankees' three first-round picks to sign and the 15th first-rounder overall to come to terms. New York has already inked Notre Dame third baseman Eric Jagielo (No. 26 overall) for just over $1.8MM. Their third first-round selection, Fresno State outfielder Aaron Judge, has been offered full slot value as well but hasn't yet accepted the offer, according to Heyman.

Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer had high praise for Clarkin when speaking to Heyman: "He's a lefthanded pitcher with plus velocity and has a plus curveball. On top of that, he's a tireless worker. We think we got something special with him.''

Trade Candidate: Jesse Crain

By charliewilmoth | June 17, 2013 at 8:04am CDT

The White Sox have fallen 9.5 games back in the AL Central after losing their last four games, and unless they can pull off the unlikely feat of battling their way into the playoff picture in the next few weeks, their veterans will likely be part of trade rumors as late July approaches.

Jeff Todd recently discussed the possible fate of one of those veterans, Alex Rios. Another is righty reliever Jesse Crain, who the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo discussed in his latest rumor roundup. "As bullpens become depleted teams are looking for solid, dependable guys who can be used from the seventh inning on. [Crain] is becoming a top name on wish lists around baseball," Cafardo says.

Crain has never been a closer, and thus doesn't have the "proven closer" label that occasionally causes teams to overpay for relievers at the trade deadline. The White Sox's closer, Addison Reed, has also pitched well this year, though he's unlikely to be traded due to his youth and the fact that he isn't even arbitration-eligible yet.

But Crain, 31, should be a valuable piece nonetheless. His strikeout rate has improved in every season since 2005, and this year he's taken a step forward with his control as well. He's posted an 0.60 ERA this season, with 11.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9, and he hasn't allowed a run in 26 straight appearances. The 0.60 ERA isn't sustainable, clearly, but Crain's strikeout rate and walk rate are both very strong. He's capable of getting outs with either his mid-90s fastball or his plus slider. He's also effective against both righties and lefties, which makes him an excellent fit in his current role as a setup man. A creative team in need of a closer could also do worse than to trade for Crain and use him in that position.

Assuming they can't fight their way back into the playoff race, the White Sox would be well-served to deal Crain. He'll be a free agent after the season, and the White Sox's farm system is poor — before the season, Keith Law and John Sickels both ranked it the third-worst farm system in baseball. Trading a non-closing reliever in his 30s, even an excellent one with a cheap $4.5MM salary, isn't the easiest way to build a farm system. But given their place in the standings and Crain's impending free agency, the White Sox have little to lose, and there are occasional trades where a contender will pay premium prices for a very good setup man. (The Padres' 2011 trade of Mike Adams to the Rangers for Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland comes to mind, although, unlike Crain, Adams had a year and a half left before he was eligible for free agency.)

There are few contenders that couldn't use Crain, although a team with question marks at the back of its bullpen would be an ideal fit. The Reds and Red Sox could well be on the hunt for bullpen help at the trade deadline. The Tigers would also make sense if Detroit and Chicago are willing to make a trade within the AL Central.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Cubs, Zambrano, Amaro, McDonald

By charliewilmoth | June 16, 2013 at 10:18pm CDT

Cubs manager Dale Sveum says his team has no intention of releasing struggling reliever Carlos Marmol and eating the rest of his $9.8MM salary, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. "We've come to find out that he has trouble with the last three outs," says Sveum. "But somebody has to pitch the other innings, and he's done a pretty good job in that role." Marmol allowed four runs in the ninth as the Cubs lost to the Mets 4-3 on Sunday. Here are more notes from around the National League.

The Cubs' bullpen has struggled this season, but in the aftermath of this summer's trading season, the team's rotation could end up being just as weak, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Last season, the Cubs performed poorly down the stretch after the departures of two productive starters in Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm. This year, Wittenmyer says, Matt Garza and Scott Feldman could be those pitchers' 2013 equivalents.
Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone struggled Saturday, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that Carlos Zambrano won't be replacing Pettibone right away, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. "Not based on what I saw his last outing, not in my mind," says Amaro. "I’d like to see him pitch again [in the minors]. We’ll keep a close eye on his starts and how effective he is. But he’s not ready yet in my mind." Zambrano has an out clause July 1. He allowed two runs in five innings in his first outing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, striking out five and walking four. His fastball did not exceed 88 MPH.
Speaking of Amaro, Bob Brookover of the Inquirer argues that "the bad has outweighed the good" in Amaro's stint as GM, and that it's unclear whether Amaro is the right person for the job. Amaro's signing of Joe Blanton and trade for Hunter Pence rank among his worst moves, Brookover says.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington says James McDonald's future with the team could be in jeopardy, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Karen Price writes in a pair of tweets. "As the clock ticks we’ll have to make a determination as to where James best fits in this group, on this club, or does he fit," says Huntington. "That’s a question to be answered ultimately by James McDonald." McDonald, once viewed as a potential franchise building block after promising seasons in 2010 and 2011 and a great first half in 2012, has fallen out of favor after collapsing down the stretch last year and posting a 5.76 ERA with 20 walks in six 2013 starts. He has also struggled in his rehab starts since landing on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort.
If the Blue Jays had already acquired Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio from the Marlins, they wouldn't have signed Maicer Izturis, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star argues. Izturis signed a three-year, $10MM deal in November, and the Jays acquired Reyes and Bonifacio days later. Izturis has hit .222/.258/.308 this season.

Cubs Sign Fourth-Rounder Tyler Skulina

By charliewilmoth | June 16, 2013 at 8:50pm CDT

The Cubs have signed fourth-round draft pick Tyler Skulina for $800K, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The draft pool value of Skulina's pick, No. 108 overall, is $477K, so Skulina's bonus is significantly over slot. Baseball America ranked Skulina the No. 73 prospect in the draft.

Callis writes that Skulina, a junior righty from Kent State, has "frontline stuff," with a 91-96 MPH fastball and an 81-84 MPH slider, although his command needs work. MLB.com notes that Skulina uses his height (he's 6'5" and 235 pounds) to throw with a downhill plane that complements his fastball and breaking ball, but says he will have to work on his changeup.

Week In Review: 6/9/13 – 6/15/13

By charliewilmoth | June 16, 2013 at 7:06pm CDT

Here's a look back at the week that was at MLBTR:

The Astros agreed to terms with first overall pick Mark Appel. See below for more draft pick signings from the first three rounds.
The Rays will promote outfielder Wil Myers.
The Mariners promoted catcher Mike Zunino.
The Dodgers discussed an extension with pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
Catcher Miguel Olivo sought his release from the Marlins.
The Cubs acquired pitcher Henry Rodriguez from the Nationals for fellow pitcher Ian Dickson.
The Indians acquired shortstop John McDonald from the Pirates for cash or a player to be named.
The Mariners signed veteran catcher Henry Blanco and designated Kelly Shoppach for assignment. The Blue Jays released Blanco earlier in the week.
The Dodgers claimed catcher John Baker off waivers from the Padres and designated Ramon Hernandez for assignment.
The Diamondbacks claimed pitcher Nathan Adcock off waivers from the Royals.
The Padres acquired utilityman Pedro Ciriaco from the Red Sox for a player to be named and designated third baseman James Darnell for assignment.
The Mets designated pitcher Collin McHugh for assignment.
The Pirates designated reliever Mike Zagurski for assignment.
The Giants designated reliever Ramon Ramirez for assignment.
The Rockies designated outfielder Eric Young Jr. for assignment.
The Yankees outrighted pitcher Cesar Cabral.
The Cubs outrighted pitcher Eduardo Sanchez.
The Blue Jays outrighted infielder Andy LaRoche and pitcher Evan Crawford.
The Mariners outrighted catcher Brandon Bantz.
The Angels outrighted infielder Chris Nelson.
The White Sox outrighted pitcher Leyson Septimo.
The Twins released pitcher Anthony Slama.
The Pirates released reliever Jose Contreras.
The Rockies released pitcher Jon Garland.
Rick Ankiel elected free agency from the Mets.
The Rockies signed third overall draft pick Jonathan Gray, second-round pick Ryan McMahon and competitive-balance pick Alex Balog.
The Indians signed fifth overall pick Clint Frazier.
The Royals signed first-round pick Hunter Dozier and second-round pick Cody Reed.
The Mariners signed first-round pick D.J. Peterson and third-round pick Tyler O'Neill.
The Tigers signed first-round pick Jonathon Crawford.
The Cardinals signed first-round picks Marco Gonzales and Rob Kaminsky, as well as second-round pick Oscar Mercado and third-round pick Mike Mayers.
The Rangers signed first-round picks Alex Gonzalez and Travis Demeritte, second-round pick Akeem Bostick and third-rounder David Ledbetter.
The Athletics signed first-round pick Billy McKinney, as well as competitive-balance pick Chad Pinder and supplemental third-round pick Chris Kohler.
The White Sox signed first-round pick Tim Anderson and second-round pick Tyler Danish.
The Dodgers signed first-round pick Chris Anderson and third-round pick Brandon Dixon.
The Reds signed first-round pick Phillip Ervin.
The Yankees signed first-round pick Eric Jagielo and third-round pick Michael O'Neill.
The Braves signed second-round pick Victor Caratini and third-round pick Carlos Salazar.
The Brewers signed second-round pick Devin Williams and competitive-balance pick Tucker Neuhaus.
The Padres signed second-round pick Dustin Peterson and third-round pick Bryan Verbitsky.
The Rays signed second-round pick Riley Unroe.
The Giants signed second-round pick Ryder Jones.
The Pirates signed second-round pick Blake Taylor.
The Phillies signed second-round pick Andrew Knapp.
The Orioles agreed to terms with second-round pick Chance Sisco and third-round pick Stephen Tarpley.
The Astros agreed to terms with second-round pick Andrew Thurman.
The Red Sox agreed to terms with second-round pick Teddy Stankiewicz and third-round pick Jonathan Denney.
The Marlins signed competitive-balance pick Colby Suggs.
The Nationals signed third-round pick Drew Ward.
The Angels signed third-round pick Keynan Middleton.
The Mets signed third-round picks Ivan Wilson and Casey Meisner.
The Twins signed third-round pick Stuart Turner.
The Blue Jays signed third-round pick Patrick Murphy.
The Diamondbacks signed third-round pick Daniel Palka.
First baseman Travis Ishikawa of the Orioles exercised his opt-out clause.
The White Sox acquired outfielder Carl Thomore from the Rockies for cash.
The Reds signed pitcher Zach Duke to a minor-league deal after the Nationals released him.
The Nationals signed pitcher Mark Lowe to a minor-league deal.
The Indians signed pitcher Clay Rapada to a minor-league deal.
The Angels signed pitchers Mike Ekstrom and Dustin Richardson to minor-league deals.
The Twins signed pitcher Cody Eppley to a minor-league deal.
The Diamondbacks signed pitcher David Pauley to a minor-league deal.
The Royals released minor-league pitcher Matt Ridings.
The Brewers released minor-league pitcher Clay Hensley.
The Diamondbacks released minor-league pitcher Warner Madrigal.
First baseman Kila Ka'aihue signed with Hiroshima in Japan.

MLBTR Originals

By edcreech | June 16, 2013 at 6:13pm CDT

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

MLBTR learned Carlos Torres re-worked the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Mets where he would remain at Triple-A Las Vegas, but be allowed to contact other MLB teams. If Torres found a 25-man roster spot somewhere, the Mets would then have 48 hours to put him on their own active roster or the right-hander could declare free agency and sign with that other club. The Mets promoted Torres yesterday.
MLBTR was the first to report Greg Reynolds and Travis Ishikawa had June 15 opt-out dates in their minor league contracts with the Reds and Orioles, respectively. Ishikawa exercised his opt-out today and, in addition to either being added to their 25-man roster or released within 48 hours, MLBTR learned the Orioles could also trade the first baseman during that window.
MLBTR was the first to learn the Rangers signed their ninth-round draft pick right-hander Jose Samayoa.
Tim Dierkes broke the news of the Diamondbacks signing right-hander David Pauley to a minor league deal and the Rays signing their second-round draft choice Riley Unroe to an above-slot contract.
Steve Adams sees Scott Feldman as a trade candidate the Cubs could turn into a pair of top 15 prospects.
Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers which team had the best draft. The top pick was the Cubs with over 1,100 votes (10%) out of the more than 11,000 cast while the Nationals brought up the rear with only 86 votes (0.78%).
Steve hosted this week's chat.
MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet updated the Prospect Rumor Roundup.
Zach Links compiled the latest edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
There are many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a refresher on how to use MLBTR.

Rays Promote Wil Myers

By edcreech | June 16, 2013 at 4:56pm CDT

The Rays have announced they will promote Wil Myers on Tuesday and he will join the team in Boston. Adam Berry of MLB.com first tweeted the news of the call up. The Rays will clear a spot on the 25-man roster by optioning Ryan Roberts to Triple-A Durham, but a corresponding 40-man roster move is not necessary since they had one opening.

Rays' Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link), Myers is "going to fit right in and help us win games." Friedman says Myers' recent hot streak (hitting .354 with ten home runs, and 32 RBI's in his last 32 games) "accelerated the conversation" about being promoted and what stood out to him was how well the 22-year-old has improved defensively. (Twitter links)

Myers will play regularly, mostly in right field, according to Friedman. Manager Joe Maddon concurred with his boss, as quoted by Smith, "He's going to play a lot. Of course you don't bring somebody like that up to sit around."

Myers is the consensus choice as the game's fourth-best prospect as ranked by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required), Baseball America, and MLB.com. Law evaluates Myers as "a patient hitter who needs to work on bat control and might struggle to hit for average at first, producing via walks and power, with an eventual ceiling as a high-average, high-power player." Prior to the season, Baseball America wrote "Myers combines outstanding raw power with an advanced approach at the plate and excellent hand-eye coordination" and fits best defensively in right field. MLB.com says Myers "profiles as a run-producer in the middle of any big league lineup and he can drive the ball to all fields with the ability to leave the yard consistently."

Myers, hitting .286/.356/.520 in 289 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham after being removed prior to the third inning of the Bulls' game this afternoon, was the centerpiece of the James Shields–Wade Davis trade the Rays made with the Royals last December. The 2009 third-round draft pick will accrue 104 days of service time, if he remains with the Rays for the rest of the season, and is on the cusp of missing Super Two status based on the current projection. Nevertheless, the Rays will control Myers through the 2019 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Gallardo, Twins, White Sox

By edcreech | June 16, 2013 at 4:45pm CDT

The Royals made this a special Father's Day for 21 dads as the team invited the players' fathers to travel with them on their current road trip to Tampa and Cleveland. Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports the idea was the brainstorm of the Royals' senior director of travel Jeff Davenport, who borrowed the idea from NHL teams, and was approved quickly by GM Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost. The idea came as a shock to some of the dads including the father of infielder Elliot Johnson, Robert. "Elliot told me about it and I had to call him back three times to make sure I got this story right — I said, 'You've got to be kidding me. All I have to do is get to Kansas City and they're going to put me on a plane and fly me along with you and not charge me anything? And I'm going to get in a hotel and eat with you guys and hang out with you?" The trip hasn't been without incident. Robert Johnson admitted he had an argument with Hall of Famer and new Royals batting coach George Brett over – what else – Elliot's hitting. In other news and notes from MLB's Central divisions:

After struggling for most of the season, Yovani Gallardo has now tossed 14 consecutive scoreless innings. With the Brewers in last place and Gallardo controlled affordably through 2015 ($11.25MM in 2014 and a 2015 club option worth $13MM), the right-hander's name has popped up as a trade candidate (including by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes two weeks ago) and he has heard the talk. "We'll see what happens," Gallardo told reporters including MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "It's definitely a little bit different. It's the first time I've been in a situation like this — not to say that anything is going to happen." McCalvy reports Gallardo can block trades to ten teams, but Gallardo acknowledges even he doesn't know the identity of all of them.
While the Brewers don't anticipate Corey Hart returning from offseason knee surgery until after the All-Star break, at the earliest, GM Doug Melvin will not rush first base prospect Hunter Morris to the Majors, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Melvin told Haudricourt service time considerations aren't part of the decision-making process, "He needs to play more at Triple-A. We just want to make sure he's ready before making a move like that." The Brewers entered the weekend last in the NL at first base with a .493 OPS and 14th with four home runs and a .275 slugging percentage.
Twins GM Terry Ryan told Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, and Kevin Correia will be the most asked about players as the Trade Deadline approaches (Twitter link).
Twins closer Glen Perkins will also be sought after by teams looking to bolster their bullpen, including the division rival Tigers. Ryan, however, told Bowden he has not had any conversations with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and would rather have Perkins pitch for him than against him (Twitter link).
Yesterday, the White Sox announced the signing of seventh-round draft choice Trey Michalczewski. Today, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweeted the prep third baseman will receive a $500K bonus, which is $323.4K above the recommended slot (per Baseball America).

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