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Dodgers Acquire Ricky Nolasco

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After dominating the trade rumor headlines for weeks, Ricky Nolasco has finally found a new team. The Southern California native will get a chance to play for his hometown Dodgers, as the club officially agreed today to acquire the longtime Marlins starter in exchange for a trio of pitching prospects. Headlining the arms coming to Miami is young righty Angel Sanchez, who is joined by right-handed relievers Steve Ames and Josh Wall.  

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Along with Nolasco, the Dodgers will receive the rights to international signing bonus slot number 96, which carries a $197k bonus allocation. (Click here to see how the international slot system works in practice.) Los Angeles will also take on all of the approximately $5.5MM remaining on Nolasco’s contract.

Barring an extension, Nolasco will become a free agent at the end of the season. Since he did not begin the year with the Dodgers, Nolasco's new employer will not be able to obtain draft pick compensation by making him a qualifying offer. Although Nolasco never seemed particularly likely to receive a qualifying offer even had he remained in Miami, the trade is good news for his pending free agency. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has explained, teams can sign a player who avoids a qualifying offer without sacrificing a draft pick, which in turn enhances the value of that player on the open market. (On the other hand, Nolasco may see a taxe hike like that experienced by some of his former Miami teammates.)

Nolasco, 30, now sports a 3.85 ERA over 112 1/3 innings in 2013 after a strong outing against the Braves on Wednesday. He has struck out hitters at a 7.1 K/9 pace while walking just 2.0 per nine and generating a 41.9 percent ground-ball rate. He has posted a 4.44 ERA in 1225 2/3 career innings, and has logged over 180 innings in four of his last five seasons. On pace to top 200 innings for the third time in his career, Nolasco promises to be a solid, reliable rotation option for his new club. 

At the time of his departure from Miami, Nolasco stands atop the franchise's record books in both wins and strikeouts. Over his eight-year Marlins career, he notched 81 victories and struck out over 1,000 batters. Nolasco was also far and away the highest paid player in a rebuilding Miami dugout this year, with his $11.5MM price tag dwarfing that of Placido Polanco, who was second on the payroll at a meager $2.75MM.

The three prospects that will join the Marlins each ranked among the Dodgers' top thirty farmhands going into the season, according to Baseball America. Sanchez was the lowest among them, registering at number 25. Nevertheless, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo pegs him as L.A.'s eight-best prospect. The 23-year-old possesseswhat BA calls an "exciting arm," though he has yet to dominate in the lower minor leagues and could be converted to a reliever. Mayo says Sanchez's live, low-to-mid-90's heater and promising-but-inconsistent slider and change make him a possible mid-rotation starter.

The other two minor leaguers have already been converted to relievers, and in that respect possess less upside than Sanchez. Ames notched the 21st slot on Baseball America's list of top Dodger prospects, with BA saying he could be ready as a 7th or 8th inning setup man in the big leagues as soon as this year. The 25-year-old reliever has pitched to a 3.67 ERA in 34 1/3 innings at Triple-A to date in his first season at that level. He has, however, seen his strikeout rate decline and walk rate go up this season, as compared to the stellar marks he put up in the lower minor league levels. Wall checked in one spot ahead of Ames among Dodgers prospects before the season, but has struggled in 2013. He was shellacked (14 earned runs in 7 innings) during a big league call-up and has a 5.60 ERA in 27 1/3 Triple-A innings. BA says that the tall righty possesses late-game stuff, but has still yet to master his command. 

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the teams were in serious negotiations and that three lower-level prospects would be included, as well as international slot money. (Twitter links). MLB.com's Joe Frisaro was the first to report (on Twitter) that a deal was expected to be completed tonight and would include three pitchers going back to Miami. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro was the first to report (tweet) that Steve Ames was one of the three players to be sent from Los Angeles, while Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com was the first to reports (via Twitter) that Josh Wall and Angel Sanchez would also be included. Frisaro first reported that the deal was completed via Twitter. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark confirmed (on Twitter) that the Dodgers would take on all of Nolasco's salary. 

Photo courtesy of Daniel Shirley/USA Today Sports Images. 

NL Notes: Cardinals, Giants, Phillies

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As we wait to hear more about the much-discussed trade of Ricky Nolasco, here are a few links on some National League clubs:

  • The Cardinals will go as far as their rotation can take them, argues Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While the club's outstanding start has slowed, GM John Mozeliak insists that he still feels comfortable with the internal rotation depth he has at his disposal. Nevertheless, he says that he "reserve[s] the right to re-examine things [over] the next four weeks."
  • Not so long ago, the Giants looked like a contender that might look to shore up some holes before the trade deadline. Now, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says (on Sulia), the team is playing its way into becoming an obvious seller. He argues that, unless the team can manage at least a .500 mark on its current homestand, it should consider dealing Hunter Pence, Javier Lopez, and possibly Tim Lincecum. 
  • With players like Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, and Jonathan Papelbon receiving much of the attention as difficult trade decisions for the Phillies, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer says that the club's most complicated quandary involves catcher Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz could fetch a nice return on a market that does not include many attractive catching options, in spite of his tepid start to the season. Perhaps more importantly, he probably does not make long-term sense for the Phils, as he is set to become a free agent and enter 2014 at the age of 35. Nevertheless, explains Brookover, the club's replacement options all come with serious risk, making Ruiz potentially very difficult to replace.
  • The Phillies also received some unwelcome news today, as Ryan Howard finally went to the 15-day DL to rest his aching knee. As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says the team will be "conservative" with Howard and could not rule out the need for surgery. Certainly, Howard is no longer a potential piece of trade bait (however unlikely such a scenario may have been), and his loss could edge the Phils away from keeping its full roster together for a postseason run.

Dodgers In Serious Talks For Ricky Nolasco

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7:14pm: Another right-handed reliever, Josh Wall, is also likely to be included in the deal, according to another Frisaro tweet. Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com was the first to report (Twitter link) Wall's potential inclusion, and also reports that young right-handed starter Angel Sanchez could be the third piece. (Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel have both tweeted confirmations of that report.) For his part, Frisaro tweets that Ames and Wall are both "solidly confirmed," while the last player is a still-undetermined pitcher.

Wall checked in one spot ahead of Ames among Dodgers prospects before the season, but has struggled in 2013. He was shellacked (14 earned runs in 7 innings) during a call-up and has a 5.60 ERA in 27 1/3 Triple-A innings. The tall righty is noted by BA as possessing late-game stuff, but has still yet to master his command. Sanchez, meanwhile, is the Dodgers' 25th ranked prospect in the view of Baseball America. The 23-year-old has what BA calls an "exciting arm," though he has yet to dominate in the lower minor leagues.

6:10pm: One of the players going to Miami will be righty Steve Ames, Frisaro tweets. Ames ranked 21st among Dodger prospects according to Baseball America's preseason rankings, with BA saying he should be ready as a 7th or 8th inning setup man in the big leagues as soon as this year. The 25-year-old reliever has pitched to a 3.67 ERA in 34 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year, his first season at that level. He has, however, seen his strikeout rate decline and walk rate go up this season, as compared to the stellar marks he put up in the lower minor league levels.

6:03pm: The Dodgers could also receive some international slot funds along with Nolasco, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

5:25pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro is reporting on Twitter that a deal is expected to be completed tonight. He says the deal will likely include three pitchers, two of whom would be considered prospects. CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler tweets that his sources believe a deal is close, and says that minor-league arms will likely be the price for Nolasco. Also by way of Twitter, Frisaro explains that Nolasco's solid outing against the Braves increased the return that Miami is expected to receive from LA. 

Likewise, ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that other clubs that have discussed Nolasco with Miami now see the Dodgers as the clear frontrunners, with the teams still hashing out which players will head to Miami in exchange. Stark also says that the Rockies seem to be easing out of the Nolasco sweepstakes, with the Orioles out altogether. Meanwhile, he writes, the Padres, Rangers, and Giants remain in contact with the Marlins. 

4:28pm: The Dodgers are in serious talks for Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).  The deal would call for L.A. to send three prospects, none of them being upper echelon types, to Miami for the right-hander.  The two sides are "getting close" to an agreement, according to one source.

Los Angeles would absorb the prorated portion of Nolasco's salary, which is roughly $5.5MM.  The SoCal native will hit the open market after the season but could eventually sign a new deal with the Dodgers if things work out.

We learned yesterday that the Giants and Dodgers both made open offers to acquire Nolasco, but it would appear that the Dodgers have the upper hand at this stage.  The Marlins have reportedly talked with more than six clubs about a Nolasco trade and they've had varying levels of interest from the Rockies, Rangers, Padres, and Orioles as well.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Orioles Acquire Alex Liddi

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The Orioles have acquired Alex Liddi from the Mariners, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).  In the swap, the M’s also sent their No. 3 international slot to Orioles and received the O’s international signing slot No. 2.  To make room for Liddi on the 40-man roster, Baltimore announced that they have designated Russ Canzler for assignment.

Baltimore’s No. 2 international slot is $351,200 and Seattle’s No. 3 slot is $277,500 and the swap adds an extra $73,700 to Seattle’s pool, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (on Twitter).  

Seattle designated Liddi for assignment towards the end of June in order to promote shortstop Brad Miller.  The infielder posted a .263/.322/.454 slash line over his 262 plate appearances in Triple-A this year but wasn’t as strong in 188 major league plate appearances.

Canzler, 27, has 29 big league games to his credit between 2011 and 2012.  In 86 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, the infielder/outfielder has slashed .276/.369/.430.

East Notes: Red Sox, Phillies, Buchholz

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Earlier today, we learned that the Phillies are likely to decide between buying and selling based on their current ten game homestand.  General Manager Ruben Amaro says that he has had a lot of interesting discussion on his players with other clubs but whether any of them actually get moved remains to be seen.  Here's more on the Phillies and other Eastern items..

  • Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes that what the Red Sox do at the deadline will impact their roster on December 12th.  Boston has a number of players they need to protect from the Rule 5 Draft this winter, and that will explain who’s available and who’s not in July.
  • If Clay Buchholz is healthy, it will be tough for the Red Sox to go out and acquire a starter, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.  If another hurler is added to the starting five, it's not clear who would get bumped from the group.
  • Within today's column from Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, Amaro went on to say that no one is truly off the table, but there are players he'd definitely like to hang on to in particular.  “Some guys are a lot less touchable than others,” he said. “But we’ll keep our eyes open, our ears open.”  Amaro has been open about his desire to keep Cliff Lee and hang on to fan favorite Chase Utley.  Last night, Amaro said it would be "really tough" for him to part with the second baseman.

Draft And International Notes: Jays, Cubs, Red Sox

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Here is the latest news on draft and international signings as we look ahead to the July 12 deadline for Rule 4 draftees to sign. You can keep track of signings from the draft's first round right here. Only five players — Kris Bryant (Cubs), Colin Moran (Marlins), Phil Bickford (Blue Jays), Hunter Renfroe (Padres), and Aaron Judge (Yankees) — remain unsigned. As Jim Callis of Baseball America recently explained (subscription required), the changes to the draft system have sapped the signing period of its former deadline drama. Last year, for instance, only six first-rounders waited to sign until the last day, just three of those lasted until the last hour before the deadline, and only one (Mark Appel) did not end up signing.

  • Among the unsigned first-rounders, Callis tweets that he expects all to sign. While he thinks Bickford will ultimately ink with the Blue Jays, Callis does say (via Twitter) that he is the most likely of the five to pass up a deal.
  • The Jays are also angling to convince a late-round choice, such as Jake Brentz, Sam Tewes, or Rowdy Tellez, to forego college and join the organization, explains Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Toronto has cleared about $1.3MM of bonus pool availability after locking up second-rounder Clinton Hollon for $701k under slot. Davidi says that the club is expected to sign first-rounder Bickford for close to slot value, leaving the team free to spend the rest of its cash on one of its hard-to-sign picks.
  • While Bryant remains the highest choice yet to sign, the Cubs remain confident that they will lock him up, GM Jed Hoyer told David Kaplan in a WGN Radio interview (Twitter link). Likewise, Callis opined (via Twitter) that Bryant will sign, though it may take until the deadline. 
  • Even as the Cubs finish up their draft signings, the team remains heavily involved in the international amateur market. Top overall international prospect Eloy Jimenez has yet to formally sign with Chicago despite reportedly agreeing to terms, which MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez says signals that the Cubs are paying close attention to the penalties for going over the allotted international bonuses. (Twitter link.) Concurring with MLBTR's Steve Adams' breakdown of the Cubs' international expenditures, Sanchez also provided some added background on the situation in a separate piece. 
  • We also just learned that the Jays' AL East-rival Red Sox have cleared a similar amount of cash. Callis tweets that Boston will "definitely" spend up to its slot totals and may also go into the tax penalty space up to the point of sacrificing a draft choice. 
  • The Angels are still working to sign 12th-round, high-school righty Blake Goins, tweets Callis. The club can go up to $472k before hitting any penalties, and could pay Goins as much as $621k before it would have to sacrifice a draft pick to sign him.
  • Likewise, with their available funds, Callis tweets that the Reds appear to be targeting 14th-round choice Willie Abreu. The University of Miami commit reportedly has a power bat and arm.

Red Sox Agree To Terms With Teddy Stankiewicz

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JULY 6: After his physical revealed a reportedly minor issue, Stankiewicz ultimately signed for $915k, according to a tweet from Baseball America's Jim Callis. This means that Boston has committed to spend $875,500 less than its bonus allotment at present, Callis explains, and can spend an additional $318,770 on top of that before it would have to sacrifice a draft pick. These figures could change if the team signs fourth-round choice Myles Smith for above or below his slot allocation. Should the club attempt to pursue one of its hard-sign, late-round picks, such as 13th-rounder Jordan Sheffield, Callis says it could afford to go as high as $1.3MM. (Twitter links.)

JUNE 10: The Red Sox have reached an agreement with secound-round pick Teddy Stankiewicz that will pay the Seminole State junior college right-hander roughly $1.1MM when finalized, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The deal is pending a physical.

Stankiewicz was selected with the No. 45 overall selection in the draft — a pick which carries a recommended slot value of $1,229,600, according to Baseball America. In other words, Stankiewicz will be signing for about $130K under slot value. He was selected 75th overall by the Mets last year but elected to head to junior college instead.

Red Sox amateur scouting director Amiel Sawdaye spoke highly of Stankeiwicz:

“He’s a big, physical pitcher. He’s got, probably for me, one of the best deliveries in the draft. His arm works really well. He throws three pitches, and he really commands his fastball."

The 19-year-old Stankiewicz, who is being advised by the BBI Sports Group, ranked 77th on Baseball America's list of Top 500 draft prospects, 88th on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Top 100 list and 61st on Keith Law of ESPN's Top 100 list. Law noted that he sits 91-96 mph with his fastball and features a curveball, slider and changeup as well.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Terry Ryan On Gardenhire, Diaz, Buxton, Correia

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In a wide-ranging interview with 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson, Twins GM Terry Ryan talked about a team that is currently "going in the wrong direction." Here are some of the most notable points covered:

  • At the halfway point, Ryan acknowledged that his team is "struggling." Ryan declined to place the blame at the feet of manager Ron Gardenhire, saying that "I just now need to get him players he can succeed with." Ryan said that he "take[s] the responsibility" for the team's record. "I put this roster together. I've told Gardy to do the best he can. I understand that I don't have a perfect roster here."
  • When asked whether the team's deal with Dominican outfielder Lewin Diaz was Minnesota's big international deal, Ryan said no. The team "still ha[s] dollars left" and is "still pursuing other guys." 
  • Ryan indicated that he is impressed with top prospect Byron Buxton for more reasons than his incredible tools and statistics. "He's done a good job and he's made up right," said Ryan, referring to Buxton. "He's a good teammate. He's approachable. There's a lot of humbleness in him. He was raised right by his parents."
  • Discussing trades, Ryan says that the general manager is "not going to win no matter what you do," though he insists that he is not bothered by criticism. Several moves that the Twins have faced questions over include not trading Josh Willingham before last year's trade deadline ("If I had traded him, I would've been hammered. Not trading him, I'll get hammered.") and shipping out center fielders Denard Span and Ben Revere this past offseason ("We made a bold move. We need pitching. People were comfortable with Benny and Denard."). 
  • One Ryan decision that has received criticism was the two-year, $10MM deal given starter Kevin Correia. With Correia pitching well enough to be a trade target, Ryan says he "never thought it was the wrong decision" because "our people were adamant that he'd be okay. … We got him for what we thought was right. He has fit in here. He's given us what we thought he could do."
  • Looking at this year's trade deadline, Ryan acknowledged that the team's current 10-game road "will be a good indicator whether we're a team that will be competitive." Minnesota kicked things off with a dispiriting 4-0 loss to Mark Buehrle and the Blue Jays last night, and is expected to be a seller.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Parnell, Hudson, Nationals

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To start off the weekend, I recommend you have a read of this interesting look at baseball across the pond. On the MLB side of things, here are a few notes from around the National League East:

  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is poised to decide between buying and selling — or, perhaps, somewhere in-between — depending upon the club's performance in the ten-game homestand it kicked off last night, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com was among those to report. The team picked up a game on the division-leading Braves last night, but has two more against Atlanta before welcoming the Nationals and then White Sox. While not among the quotes passed along in the article, in the video found at the link, Amaro says that he has "had a lot of discussions in the last three or four days" and has seen "a lot of interest in some pretty good players on our club."
  • In his worthwhile look in at available relievers, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal did not include the Mets and closer Bobby Parnell. In a tweet, Rosenthal explained that he has been told that the team is not interested in dealing Parnell unless it is "blown away" by an offer. Parnell, 28, has been excellent for New York and still has two more years of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency.
  • Braves starter Tim Hudson said he was surprised to learn of a report suggesting that he expected to be traded and denied it completely, according to a post from MLB.com's Trade Deadline blog. Of course, Hudson enjoys ten and five rights, meaning he would have the authority to veto any potential trade. As Rosenthal reports on Twitter this morning, Braves GM Frank Wren also says there is "no validity at all" to the notion that Hudson will be dealt.
  • The Nationals are definitely interested in adding a starter, according to a report (on Twitter) from ESPN's Buster Olney. As the struggling Dan Haren tries to work out his issues while on the DL, the team has turned to youngster Taylor Jordan. Though Jordan has been successful in two starts, it would be risky indeed to rely on him (and the team's other minor leaguers) to step up if Haren is unable to regain his form down the stretch.

AL Notes: Mariners, White Sox, Astros, Blue Jays

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Here are a few trade notes from around the American League:

  • As we approach the trade deadline with the Mariners looking more like sellers than buyers, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times took a look back at GM Jack Zduriencik's recent history at the deadline. Beginning with an ill-fated swap of a young Michael Morse for Ryan Langerhans and featuring the retrospectively painful Doug Fister deal, the net return to Seattle has not been terribly productive.
  • This year, the Mariners could be in a position to deal some relievers. Last night, we took a look at FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal's breakdown of potentially available NL relievers. Tonight, let's look at the AL crop. From the M's, Rosenthal says that veteran lefty Oliver Perez is the most likely to be dealt, with Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen also prime candidates. The latter two, however, will likely command a high price given that Furbush may just be reaching arbitration after this season as a Super Two, while Wilhelmsen will not reach arbitration until after the 2014 campaign.
  • Rosenthal also pegs the White Sox and Astros as sellers with attractive bullpen pieces. Chicago could swing a trade for stud reliever Jesse Crain if he can return in time to prove his health; otherwise, both Matt Thornton and Matt Lindstrom could hold some appeal. (Both of the latter two pitchers come with club options for 2014.) For Houston, meanwhile, the prime trade chip among its relief corps is unquestionably closer Jose Veras, who is cheap, strikes out a lot of hitters, and has been solid in late-inning work this year.
  • One other team that should look to the future, according to FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi, is the Blue Jays. With the club again fading after its recent resurgence, Morosi says Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos faces a "virtually impossible" task to right the ship before the trade deadline. Rather than selling out for this season, says Morosi, the Jays should look to shore up the team's rotation to make a run in 2014 and 2015.
  • Sticking with the Jays, Morosi says that Josh Johnson — occasionally noted as a potential trade candidate earlier in the year — has been "perhaps the team's greatest disappointment this year." Johnson currently carries a 4.89 ERA in 53 1/3 innings; his walk rate is below his career average at 3.4 BB/9, though he is striking batters out at a strong 9.1 K/9 clip. At this point, Morosi suggests, Toronto may be best served by shipping Johnson back to the National League rather than looking to try and bring him back next year.

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