Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for April 2014

Quick Hits: Pirates, Colvin, Free Agents, Dunand

By | at

The Pirates hold the top spot in Baseball America's ranking of every organization's minor league system (BA subscription required).  This list has some updates from the original ranking in the 2014 BA Prospect Handbook, as while the top dozen teams remain the same, some clubs have moved up and down the list due to subsequent offseason moves.  The Yankees, for instance, rise to the #13 spot due to their signing of Masahiro Tanaka, as he is technically a "prospect" as an MLB rookie.

Here are some items from around the baseball world…

  • Tyler Colvin has accepted his assignment to the Giants' Triple-A affiliate and will report tomorrow, CSNBayArea.com's Andrew Baggarly reports (via Twitter).  Colvin signed a minor league deal with San Francisco in February that contained an opt-out clause if he wasn't added to the team's Opening Day roster.
  • While fans may worry that their teams will be hamstrung in the future by massive contracts, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci notes that the financial costs aren't as great as they seem given how much revenue Major League Baseball is generating and passing down to all 30 teams.  These big deals also tend to create extra revenue for teams — Verducci cites how the Mariners' huge deal with Robinson Cano helped "a brand that needed polishing," and Cano's presence will help ticket sales and TV ratings.
  • High schooler Joe Dunand's streak of eight home runs in as many at-bats has raised the youngster's profile, CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman writes.  Dunand, 18, was considered by some scouting directors to be "a fringe pro prospect," but his homer streak attracted scouts from the Mariners, Angels, Royals, Orioles, Mets, Braves and Giants (among other teams) to his game on Wednesday.  Dunand has committed to North Carolina State but could turn pro depending on his draft prospects.  There's also the matter of Dunand's impressive bloodlines; his uncle is Alex Rodriguez.
  • The Nationals announced that right-hander Erik Davis underwent Tommy John surgery today and will miss the entire 2014 season.  Davis made his Major League debut last season and posted a 3.12 ERA and a 12.00 K/BB rate in 8 2/3 IP for Washington.

Pablo Sandoval Open To Midseason Negotiations

By | at

Pablo Sandoval has given the go-ahead to his agent, Gustavo Vasquez, to continue negotiations with the Giants about a possible contract extension should the club be willing to resume talking, CSNBayArea.com's Andrew Baggarly reports.  San Francisco GM Brian Sabean traditionally eschews in-season negotiations, Baggarly notes, "so this could be a scenario where both sides say the ball is in the other’s court."

There was a considerable gap in offers when the two sides last met, with Sandoval demanding at least a five-year, $90MM deal and the Giants counting with a three-year, $40MM offer.  That difference wasn't able to be bridged before Opening Day and Sandoval's team was reportedly deciding between continuing talks or waiting until after the season.  It's possible the new deadline could be midseason, as Vasquez previously told CSNBayArea.com that Sandoval would test free agency if he didn't receive an acceptable offer from the Giants by the All-Star Break.

The Giants are known to want assurances about Sandoval's health and conditioning before extending the third baseman, and Sandoval has done his part in the early going by arriving at Spring Training in excellent shape.  If the slugger is keeping up his fitness after a couple of months, it stands to reason that Sabean could have enough information to re-open talks.  The Giants are no strangers to late extensions — they extended Hunter Pence in the last days of the 2013 season and similarly locked up Tim Lincecum in October, a couple of weeks before the right-hander hit the open market — though they might not get that chance this time if Vasquez's midseason deadline is a firm one.

AL East Notes: Archer, Rays, Nunez, Blue Jays

By | at

The Rays officially announced their six-year, $25.5MM extension with Chris Archer in a press conference today.  The right-hander told reporters (including MLB.com's Bill Chastain) that the recent spate of pitching injuries around baseball influenced his decision to sign the contract.  "I don't know if all the injuries — the head injuries, the concussions, the elbow injuries, some shoulder injuries — that have happened of late, I don't know if they've happened as a sign for me, but I took them as a sign for me, a sign of what's unknown," Archer said.  "I sat down with my financial advisor. With this contract, I'm financially secure multiple times over again, through many generations. For me, that's all I ever wanted out of this game — to be personally secure and have my family members secure as well."

Here's some more from around the AL East…

  • Alex Cobb and Wil Myers would seem to be the next logical extension candidates for the Rays, MLB.com's Adam Berry writes.  Cobb said he would "plead the fifth" when asked if he'd been approached by the team about a multiyear deal, while Myers said that he's just focused on playing and will let his agent handle any contractual business.  Berry's piece also contains several quotes from Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman about his team's strategy of locking up its young stars.
  • The Rays have had nine players suspended for PED usage and 14 players suspended for drug-related offenses overall since 2012 , Baseball Prospectus' Ben Lindbergh notes.  Tampa Bay leads all teams in both categories, and the recently-suspended Alex Colome is the only the latest of several of the Rays' top prospects to be hit with a suspension.  Lindbergh, however, believes this current spate of issues is only a matter of "chance," as the franchise doesn't have a glaring suspension record before 2012.
  • The Mets haven't discussed making a move for Eduardo Nunez, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets, and it's "too early to say if they will have interest" in signing the infielder to bolster their shortstop depth.  The Yankees designated Nunez for assignment yesterday.
  • Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters (including Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star) that he isn't looking for external shortstop help with Jose Reyes on the DL.  Jonathan Diaz is currently filling in at short, and Anthopoulos doesn't think Reyes' injury will keep him out for too long.
  • ESPN's Jim Bowden (Insider subscription required) doesn't think the Blue Jays will contend this season and the club should deal some top stars in order to restock the farm system.  Edwin Encarnacion headlines Bowden's list of Toronto's ten best trade candidates, which also includes possible trade suitors.
  • In other AL East news, we posted a collection of Red Sox Notes earlier tonight.

Red Sox Notes: Doubront, Lester, Bogaerts

By | at

The Red Sox are no strangers to White House visits over the last decade, though David Ortiz marked yesterday's team trip to Pennsylvania Avenue by taking a memorable selfie alongside another famous face.  Here's some more news from Boston…

  • With Felix Doubront set to become eligible for arbitration after the season, MassLive.com's Jason Mastrodonato thinks the young southpaw could be an extension candidate if he pitches well in 2014.  Mastrodonato notes that Doubront's status becomes particularly important given that Jon Lester and Jake Peavy are both free agents after the season, though Doubront isn't focusing on contract negotiations.  "When that moment comes, we’ll talk. You want to stay away from that, for my own good," Doubront said. "If you think about that, mentally it makes things bigger. You just want to stay on the same page. We’ll see what happens after this season."
  • Lester's impending free agency was discussed by ESPN's Buster Olney in a radio interview on WEEI's Mut & Merloni Show (partial transcript from WEEI.com's Arjuna Ramgopal).  Olney feels the middle ground between Lester and the Red Sox falls in the range of a five-year, $110-$120MM contract and while both sides will "have to go out of their comfort zones," Olney feels Lester will have to budge a bit more.  “It’€™s going to be because Jon Lester makes it happen, the way that Dustin Pedroia made it happen last year. The Red Sox, philosophically, are not going to box themselves in."  The Sox and Lester recently tabled their extension talks, though they could be re-open negotiations during the season.
  • Xander Bogaerts' rise from an anonymous 16-year-old from the baseball non-hotbed of Aruba to one of the game's top prospects and the Red Sox Opening Day shortstop is chronicled by Sports On Earth's Jorge Arangure Jr.  Boston was able to find Bogaerts due to the organization's wide-ranging scouting process, and Bogaerts took it from there, quickly advancing through the Red Sox academy and minor league system.

Padres Nearing Deal With Odrisamer Despaigne

By | at

6:04pm: The deal is a minor league contract that does not promise Despaigne "huge money," reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Despaigne must still secure a visa and pass a physical.

11:12am: The Padres are nearing a deal with Cuban right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (via Twitter).

Dierkes recently spoke with a high-level scout to get a report on Despaigne, learning that he has four average offerings that he can deliver from a number of different arm slots, leading the scout to point out his ability to deceive hitters. That same scout also told Dierkes that Despaigne "knows how to pitch," suggesting a good feel for the game. Despaigne recently changed agencies, switching from Jaime Torres to Charisse Dash of DPX Sports.

Despaigne, who turns 27 in April, posted a 3.65 career ERA in eight seasons in Cuba's Serie Nacional and was much better in his final season, posting an ERA of just 2.58. It's unclear exactly what role he would fill with the Padres in the long-term, but the scouting report received by Dierkes seemed to suggest that Despaigne is on a big-league track, be it as a back-end starter or a middle reliever. Despaigne was also connected to the Diamondbacks and Twins at various points this offseason.

Amateur Draft, International Bonus Pools Rise By 1.7 Percent

By | at

Amateur draft pools and international bonus pools allotted under the latest collective bargaining agreement will rise by 1.7 percent this year, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com. As Callis notes, the Marlins have the largest bonus pool due to their 13 picks in the first 10 rounds, while the Orioles, who forfeited their first- and second-round picks to sign Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz, have the lowest total.

Callis notes that this year's No. 1 overall pick in the draft is valued at $7,922,100 — an increase of $131,700. Below, you can look at the draft and international pools available to all 30 teams (As Callis points out, both Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales could still impact the draft pools, as their signing with new teams could create new picks/bonus money for the Red Sox and Mariners):

All bonus money directed toward a player selected in the Top 10 rounds of the draft counts against a team's bonus pool, as does any bonus money that exceeds $100K to players selected in rounds 11 through 40 (for example, a $180K bonus to a team's 11th-round pick would result in $80K being removed from its draft pool). As a reminder, the penalties for exceeding draft bonus pools are as follows:

  • Exceed by 0 to 5 percent: 75 percent tax on the overage.
  • Exceed by 5 to 10 percent: 75 percent tax on the overage plus the loss of a first-round pick in the following year's draft.
  • Exceed by 10 to 15 percent: 100 percent tax on the overage plus the loss of a first- and second-round pick in the following year's draft.
  • Exceed by more than 15 percent: 100 percent tax on the overage plus the lost of a first-round pick in the following two drafts.

Penalties for the international bonus pool are as follows (international bonus pools only apply to players who are under the age of 23 and have fewer than three years of professional experience):

  • All overages are taxed at 100 percent.
  • Exceed bonus pool by 5 to 10 percent: Team is not allowed to sign a player for more than $500K in the following international signing period.
  • Exceed by 10 to 15 percent: Team is not allowed to sign a player for more than $300K in the following international signing period.
  • Exceed by more than 15 percent: Team is not allowed to sign a player for more than $300K in the following two international signing periods.

As Callis writes, under last year's rules (which were slightly different), the Cubs and Rangers are unable to sign a player for more than $250K in the coming international signing period (July 2, 2014 through June 15, 2015) as a result of exceeding their 2013-14 bonus pools by more than 15 percent. Additionally, we've seen reports that the Yankees are planning to shatter their international bonus pool this season, meaning that they, too, could be looking at harsh penalties in the future.

Here are the team-by-team breakdowns of overall slot bonuses (click here to download an excel file to allow sorting). As the chart shows, and as one would expect, the Astros and Marlins have far and away the highest total spending allotment, landing over $18MM.

2014 draft bonus pools

Dodgers Claim Carlos Triunfel From Mariners

By | at

The Dodgers have claimed shortstop Carlos Triunfel off waivers from the Mariners, the club announced via press release. Triunfel has been optioned to Triple-A.

That brings an end to a disappointing tenure for Triunfel in Seattle, which designated him for assignment on Friday. Once a consensus top-100 prospect, Triunfel saw only limited big league action with his former club. Last year, at Triple-A, he posted a .282/.328/.394 line in 383 trips to the plate. 

Minor Moves: Adam Rosales, Xavier Avery, Carlos Peguero

By | at

Here are today's minor moves and outright assignments from around the league…

  • Infielder Adam Rosales has accepted an outright assignment with the Rangers, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. The well-travelled Rosales has 920 MLB plate appearances over his career, and owns a .219/.287/.335 line in that stretch.
  • Outfielder Xavier Avery of the Mariners has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, reports Greg Johns of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 24-year-old figures to be a useful depth piece for Seattle.
  • Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports (via Twitter) that the Royals have outrighted outfielder Carlos Peguero to Triple-A Omaha after he cleared waivers. According to a previous report from McCullough, the Royals made a clever move — Peguero and his agent might use a different adjective — by claiming left-hander Patrick Schuster from the Padres and designating Peguero for assignment. Per McCullough, Schuster never really had a shot to crack the roster, and the Rule 5 pick was returned to his original organization, the Diamondbacks. However, the move gave Kansas City cause to DFA Peguero, and the 10-day DFA window helped ensure that he could be slipped through waivers more easily, as he didn't have to be waived until eight days after his DFA (most teams' 40-man rosters were set by the time Peguero was placed on waivers). 

Braves Claim Pedro Beato From Reds

By | at

The Braves have claimed reliever Pedro Beato off of waivers from the Reds, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Beato will go right onto the team's active roster in time for Friday's game, O'Brien adds (Twitter links), with another reliever likely to be optioned to create space.

Beato, a 6'6" righty, threw last year in the Red Sox organization. He allowed only four earned runs in ten big league frames, but spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.98 ERA over 51 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old saw his most extensive MLB action in 2011with the Mets, when he registered a 4.30 ERA in 67 innings.

Mets Outright Ryan Reid Off Of 40-Man Roster

By | at

The Mets have taken Ryan Reid off of the club's 40-man roster to make way for Kyle Farnsworth, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Reid was outrighted, the club announced.

New York claimed Reid, 28, back in December from the Pirates. Reid finally got a brief MLB audition last year and threw 11 quality innings for Pittsburgh. Over 194 career Triple-A frames, he has a 3.57 ERA and has averaged 8.6 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top