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Archives for June 2013

Nationals To Sign Jake Johansen

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The Nationals have agreed to terms with Jake Johansen, the last pick in the second round of the 2013 Draft (No. 68 overall). The Nats did not have a first-round pick due to their signing of Rafael Soriano, so Johansen was their first selection of the draft. The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore tweets that Johansen signed for "slot." The bonus pool value for the No. 68 overall pick is $820K.

Johansen, a college senior, was the Friday-night starter for Dallas Baptist. Keith Law ranked Johansen the No. 63 prospect in the draft, while Baseball America ranked him No. 182. MLB.com notes Johansen's four-pitch mix but says he's currently "more of a thrower," and his future might be in the bullpen.

Dodgers To Sign Tom Windle

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The Dodgers have agreed to terms with second-round pick Tom Windle, and the left-handed pitcher will sign for the slot value of $986,500, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter links). Windle is advised by SFX.

Windle was selected 56th overall out of the University of Minnesota. He ranked No. 47 on Baseball America's Top 500 list, No. 60 on Keith Law's Top 100 and No. 32 on Jonathan Mayo's Top 100. Windle's three-pitch mix features a fastball in the 93-94 mph range as well as a slider and a changeup.

Phillies To Sign Cord Sandberg

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The Phillies have agreed to terms with third-round pick Cord Sandberg, the outfielder told John Lembo of his hometown Bradenton Herald.

Sandberg, who was selected 89th overall, will receive a $775K signing bonus plus the monetary equivalent of a full scholarship to Mississippi State, where he was committed to attend college. He had been offered a full scholarship as a quarterback recruit for the Bulldogs. The assigned pick value for the No. 89 overall selection was $593,400, per Baseball America, so Sandberg will be signed well above slot value.

Sandberg, who is being advised by Excel Sports Management, has until July 12 to officially sign a contract, though that appears to be little more than a formality at this point. He ranked 40th on Baseball America's Top 500 draft prospects, 53rd on Keith Law's Top 100 and 56th on Jonathan Mayo's Top 100. He projects to have good power from the left side of the plate and has enough speed to be a defensive asset in the outfield.

Top Prospect Rumors: Zack Wheeler, Gerrit Cole

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With the approximate Super Two cutoff approaching, teams figure to be less hesitant about promoting their top prospects in the near future. Here's the latest on a pair who could be making their debuts sooner rather than later…

  • The Mets are targeting next Friday (June 14) for Zack Wheeler's MLB debut, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Wheeler is scheduled to make what is likely to be his final Triple-A start tonight against Tacoma. The date isn't set in stone, Rubin notes, but is a tentative goal.
  • Former No. 1 overall pick and Pirates top prospect Gerrit Cole could make his first big league start as soon as Tuesday (June 11), writes MLB.com's Tom Singer. Wandy Rodriguez will be unable to make that start after exiting his previous outing with an injury, and manager Clint Hurdle said that spot was open as of right now. The Buccos have two established starters on the mend, but neither James McDonald or Charlie Morton will be prepared to make that start.
  • Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette takes the issue a step further and says that Cole will "very likely" make his MLB debut on Tuesday (Twitter link).

Orioles Outright Chris Snyder

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FRIDAY: Snyder has been optioned to Triple-A, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, meaning that he has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the 40-man roster.

TUESDAY: The Orioles have designated Chris Snyder for assignment, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli reports (Twitter link).  The catcher's contract allows him to refuse an assignment to Triple-A and opt out, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains, so Snyder and his representatives at LSW Baseball are checking out the market to see if he can find a Major League job elsewhere.  If he can't, Snyder will accept the assignment and remain with the Orioles organization.

Snyder was acquired by the O's on April 28 to serve as a backup catcher while Taylor Teagarden was on the disabled list and thus was expendable when Teagarden was activated today.  With Matt Wieters locking down the everyday job in Baltimore, Snyder has only played in six games and received 20 plate appearances this season.  Snyder has a career .224/.328/.383 line over 10 seasons with the Orioles, Astros, Pirates and Diamondbacks.

Chien-Ming Wang To Sign With Blue Jays

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Chien-Ming Wang is set to sign with the Blue Jays, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Wang is expected to start for the Jays on Tuesday of next week.

Wang, 33, posted a 2.33 ERA with 3.9 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 58 innings for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate this season, allowing just two homers along the way. He also fired 12 scoreless frames in this year's World Baseball Classic.

Wang neglected to exercise multiple opt-out clauses in his contract prior to this date, stating that he would only ask for his release from the Yankees if a Major League opportunity presented itself elsewhere. The Taiwanese sinker artist is represented by Octagon and has a 4.26 ERA in 765 1/3 innings between the Yankees and Nationals.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Yankees Release Chien-Ming Wang

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Chien-Ming Wang has exercised the opt out clause in his contract and the Yankees granted him his release, according to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).  Wang, who has been pitching for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, could have opted out on May 31st but put off the decision until today.

We heard last week that the right-hander had interest from six clubs but was unlikely to trigger his opt out clause as none of those teams were willing to offer him a major league deal.  Wang made nine starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a 2.33 ERA with 3.9 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.

Nationals Claim Tyler Robertson

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The Nationals have claimed Tyler Robertson off of waivers from the Twins, the clubs have announced.  Robertson was designated for assignment by Minnesota on Monday.

The left-hander is the son of Jay Robertson, who works within the Nats' front office as a special assistant to the GM.  Robertson owns a 5.54 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 across 26 innings of work over the last two seasons for the Twins.  The 25-year-old has also spent parts of three seasons at Triple-A where he posted a 3.64 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9.

Blue Jays Designate Henry Blanco For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced that they have designated catcher Henry Blanco for assignment.  In related moves, Toronto has recalled catcher Josh Thole and selected the contract of infielder Andy LaRoche from Triple-A Buffalo.

Blanco, 41, appeared in 15 games for the Blue Jays this year and started as catcher in 13 of those contests.   For his career, Blanco owns a .226/.291/.366 slash line across 16 years for the Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers, Braves, Twins, Cubs, Padres, Mets, D'Backs, and Blue Jays.  By promoting Thole, the Blue Jays gain an experienced knuckleball handler; Thole was R.A. Dickey's catcher with the Mets prior to this offseason's trade.

Twins Notes: Sizemore, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Draft

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Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN has plenty of Twins-oriented news in this week's edition of his "Scoops" column. Here are the highlights…

  • Grady Sizemore has resumed baseball activities, and there's a "strong belief" that the Twins will be interested when ready to sign with a team in a month or two. The Twins did their due diligence on Sizemore in March, but Sizemore made it clear in January that he preferred not to sign until he was able to play in games.
  • The Twins are one of many teams with interest in Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Wolfson reports. They will send a scout to attend his showcase on June 20. We learned last night that the Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox and Cubs are all in on Gonzalez as well, so the Twins will have some deep-pocketed competition.
  • Vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff told Wolfson that the Twins "made an effort" to sign Yasiel Puig last year, but obviously they didn't come close to the Dodgers' seven-year, $42MM offer. Many around the game considered the Puig signing to be a drastic overpay at the time, but the Dodgers clearly aren't complaining right now.
  • The Twins are still planning to select as many as seven pitchers with their first 10 picks. Both Kohl Stewart and Ryan Eades, the Twins' two picks on day one of the draft, are right-handed pitchers. Eades is being advised by Scott Boras, Wolfson reports.
  • Clete Thomas, who was recently promoted based on his strong Triple-A results and ability to play center field, had an opt-out clause in his minor league contract this week. Radcliff told Wolfson that the timing of his promotion was more coincidental than anything else, though. Their first option for a backup center fielder may have been Quintin Berry, whom the team was interested in. The Royals had priority due to their inferior record and claimed Berry.

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