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Archives for July 2013

Royals Willing To Listen On Ervin Santana

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The Royals are willing to listen to offers for Ervin Santana and would deal him for the right offer, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com (via Twitter). The availability of the righty "changes the market for starting pitching," Rosenthal adds in a second tweet.

Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star also hears that Santana is available (Twitter link), but cautions that the price will be steep. The 30-year-old undoubtedly becomes one of the top starters on the block, as he's pitched to a sterling 3.18 ERA in 130.1 innings this year, posting a 7.2 K/9 and a 1.9 BB/9. Any acquiring team would be on the hook for the remaining portion of his $13MM salary this season. Meanwhile, the Royals would lose the ability to make him a qualifying offer, so we can expect that their asking price will exceed the value of a compensatory pick in the 2014 draft.

The news marks a change in posture for Royals GM Dayton Moore, as Dutton reported just a week ago that Moore wouldn't entertain offers for Santana. However, Kansas City is currently 46-51, and at eight games behind the first place Tigers heading into tonight's matchup with the Orioles, appear to have a slim chance of making the playoffs.

Orioles Sign Cuban Outfielder Dariel Alvarez

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JULY 24th, 6:08pm: The O's confirmed the signing via press release.

JULY 18th, 3:41pm: The Orioles have agreed to terms on a deal with 24-year-old Cuban outfield prospect Dariel Alvarez for $800K, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Because Alvarez is older than 23 and has more than three years of professional experience, he is not subject to the new international signing guidelines laid out in the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. Alvarez is in Miami and waiting on the results of his physical, which will make the deal official.

Alvarez defected from the Cuban National Team in January and was cleared to sign with MLB teams a month later, though a change in agents held up his journey to MLB. Alvarez tells Sanchez that he is "very happy to get [his] career going" and will report to whatever level the Orioles see fit. The Cardinals were said to be keeping tabs on Alvarez over the winter, and there were also some conflicting reports as to whether or not the Twins were in the mix.

Over the winter, Sanchez reported that 6'2", 190-pound Alvarez is capable of playing all three outfield positions and possesses a strong throwing arm. The bonus he received is a fraction of the sum that the A's and Dodgers gave Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig on their multi-year contracts.

Tigers Sign Jair Jurrjens

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The Tigers announced (via Twitter) that they have signed Jair Jurrjens to a minor league contract. Jurrjens declined an outright assignment from the Orioles last week, electing free agency instead. He will join Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

The 27-year-old Jurrjens returns to the team that signed him as an international free agent back in 2003 after a lengthy stint with the Braves and a half season in the Orioles organization. Jurrjens was traded from the Tigers to the Braves along with Gorkys Hernandez in exchange for Edgar Renteria in 2007. From 2008-11 with Atlanta, Jurrjens pitched to a 3.34 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 671 2/3 innings. He finished third in th 2008 NL Rookie of the Year voting and earned an All-Star berth in 2011.

Following a knee injury, however, Jurrjens has been unable to get his career on track. He's thrown just 55 2/3 innings at the big league level over the past two seasons, posting an unsightly 6.63 ERA. In 94 2/3 innings for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate this season, Jurrjens posted a 4.18 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.

Phillies Designate Humberto Quintero For Assignment

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The Phillies announced that they have designated Humberto Quintero for assignment and selected the contract of Michael Martinez from Triple-A.

The 33-year-old Quintero signed a minor league contract with the Phillies this offseason as depth given Carlos Ruiz's suspension. He was designated for assignment by the Phils once already this season and outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. In a small sample size of 68 plate appearances, the veteran is batting .250/.294/.406 with a pair of homers.

International Signings: Luis Tejada

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Here's a look at today's significant international signings…

  • The Reds have agreed to terms with Dominican left-hander Luis Tejada on a $600K bonus, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Tejada, 19, originally signed with the Braves for $125K, but that contract was voided after it was learned that he lied about his age. While sitting out and serving a penalty for the false age, Tejada's velocity increased from 88-92 mph to the mid-90s, according to Badler, leading to a larger bonus. The $600K bonus is the largest handed out by the Reds since the July 2 signing period began. Cincinnati entered this year's signing period with the second-smallest international bonus pool.

Red Sox Extend Dustin Pedroia

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The Red Sox have secured the face of their franchise through the 2021 season.  The team today officially announced the signing of second baseman Dustin Pedroia to an eight-year extension that will take effect in 2014.  Pedroia, who is represented by ACES, will reportedly receive $110MM over the life of the contract.

Pedroia

Prior to this agreement, Pedroia was on a contract that paid him $10MM in 2013 and 2014 with a team-friendly club option for $11MM in 2015.  The fresh contract will start in 2014 and slightly increase his salary next season but provide the Red Sox with an average annual value of less than $14MM for the four-time All-Star and 2008 American League MVP. In essence, he is receiving seven additional years and $100MM in new money.

Pedroia will reportedly receive a $1MM signing bonus before earning $12.5MM in 2014-15, $13MM in 2016, $15MM in 2017, $16MM in 2018, $15MM in 2019, $13MM in 2020 and $12MM in 2021.  The contract also contains some deferred money and a full no-trade clause.

We learned late last week that the Red Sox had begun talks with the soon-to-be 30-year-old on an extension.  It’s possible that the Red Sox were motivated by Robinson Cano’s impending free agency to lock up their own standout second baseman.  A colossal deal for the Yankees star would ostensibly raise the bar for players at that position.

In 449 plate appearances this season, Pedroia is slashing .308/.385/.422 with six home runs.  For his career, the four-time All-Star owns a career slash line of .303/.371/.457.  In addition to his bat, Pedroia delivers plenty of value with his glove, as he’s consistently among the best fielding second basemen in the game.  Ultimate Zone Rating suggests that Pedroia saves 9.5 runs per 150 games played, while The Fielding Bible feels that he’s been 74 runs above average over the course of 8192 1/3 innings at second base.  To date, Fangraphs pegs Pedroia’s value at 32.3 wins above replacement, while Baseball-Reference values his on-field contributions at 36.2 WAR.

Pedroia’s contract tops the previous deals signed by superstar second baseman such as Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler and Brandon Phillips (also an ACES client).  By signing this deal, Pedroia will become the first second baseman to receive a contract of $100MM or more.  The new pact represents the first significant contract extension by Ben Cherington since becoming Boston’s general manager, though Cherington did work out a two-year deal to avoid arbitration with left-hander Craig Breslow.

Rob Bradford of WEEI.com was the first to report the extension and the full no-trade protection (Twitter links). WEEI.com’s Alex Speier provided the year-to-year breakdown of Pedroia’s contract (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Angels Claim J.C. Gutierrez Off Waivers

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The Angels have claimed J.C. Gutierrez off of waivers from the Royals, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The right-hander was designated for assignment by Kansas City earlier this month in order to make room for Wade Davis as he returned from paternity leave.

The 30-year-old has a solid 3.38 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 25 relief appearances this season.  Over the course of his career, Gutierrez has a 4.58 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in parts of five campaigns for the Astros, Diamondbacks, and Royals. The well-traveled reliever boasts a mid-90s fastball and so far in 2013 he’s been clocking in with a career high 95 mph average.

Astros Pitchers Drawing Major Interest

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Astros starting pitcher Bud Norris and reliever Jose Veras are drawing considerable interest and it's likely that both players will be traded, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Astros have said that they don't need to move Norris as his $3MM salary is affordable, but that also increases his value on the market.

The Orioles are one of the clubs that realize the value of Norris and other Astros hurlers.  Even though they've already been aggressive on the trade market by acquiring Scott Feldman from the Cubs and Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that they're likely not done and are speaking with Houston about acquiring more arms.  Baltimore likely would balk at the trade price for Norris – one report earlier this month said they're seeking two top prospects – but they could zero in on former O's lefty Erik Bedard or right-hander Lucas Harrell, sources told Rosenthal.

Meanwhile, one might guess that the Tigers would be among the leading suitors for Veras, but Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) hears that the Detroit front office is split on him.  Knobler's best guess is that the Tigers don't make a play for the reliever, but there are some within the organization that are fans.

Heyman notes that the Red Sox, Pirates, Phillies, Rangers, Giants, and Dodgers have also shown interest in Norris at some point, which should make for some competitive bidding.  Meanwhile, just about every contending team is considering relief help and the Pirates could be in that group after Jason Grilli was put on the shelf with a forearm issue. 

Veras has a 3.12 ERA on the season with 9.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 on the season.  Norris is also enjoying a solid campaign, posting a 3.91 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 through 20 starts.

Athletics Designate Vinnie Catricala For Assignment

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The A's have designated third baseman Vinnie Catricala for assignment, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The move will clear a 40-man roster space for Adam Rosales, who is rejoining the team after being designated for assignment and outrighted earlier this month.

The A's acquired Catricala, 24, from the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations after Seattle designated him for assignment earlier this season. After hitting .253/.318/.351 through 48 games for the Mariners' Double-A affiliate, Catricala's production worsened at Double-A Midland for the A's. He hit just .219/.292/.297 in 33 games.

Catricala ranked as the Mariners' No. 9 prospect prior to the 2012 season, according to Baseball America. However, he dropped to 26th on that list this season and has likely seen his stock fall further with a rough year at the plate.

The Latest On Alex Rodriguez

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The Biogenesis fallout began the other day with a season-ending suspension for Ryan Braun and the news that Alex Rodriguez would likely face a lengthier punishment than Braun's 65-game ban. Yesterday it was reported that A-Rod plans to appeal his impending suspension, which would likely delay it until the 2014 season. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote on Monday, that scenario would benefit the Yankees in a financial sense; any money lost by Rodriguez to his suspension is money that the Yankees don't have to risk paying luxury taxes on. Here's the latest on Rodriguez…

  • ESPN's T.J. Quinn reports that Major League Baseball is considering a lifetime ban for Rodriguez, but likely just to use as a weapon in negotiations. While the evidence against Rodriguez is "far beyond" the evidence MLB had on Braun, experts told Quinn it would be very difficult for MLB to convince an arbitrator to rule in favor of a lifetime ban (Twitter links).
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Rodriguez will likely leverage multiple lawyers to try to fight his suspension. Rodriguez hired David Cornwell, the attorney who helped Braun win his 2011 appeal, back in June to join Jay Reisinger on his legal team. Reisinger, who has a strong relationship with the MLBPA, tells Rosenthal that he no longer represents Rodriguez. One person close to Rodriguez offered Rosenthal the following explanation: "When people don’t tell him what he wants to hear, he goes out and finds someone who will." Rosenthal adds that Cornwell isn't well-liked by the MLBPA for his "bombastic, swing-for-the-fences" tactics.

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