By Jeff Todd | at
The Royals have designated lefty Donnie Joseph for assignment, tweets Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. In a series of corresponding moves, the club has also activated swingman Bruce Chen and optioned reliever Tim Collins to Triple-A.
Joseph had one regrettable appearance this year, allowing six earned in just two thirds of an inning, but did make six scoreless outings last year. Through 25 2/3 frames at Triple-A in 2014, Joseph owns a 3.86 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 7.0 BB/9.
By Jeff Todd | at
The Rangers have designated outfielder/first baseman Brad Snyder for assignment, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). His roster spot will be taken by Carlos Pena, whose contract was purchased.
Snyder, 32, has only seen 71 MLB plate appearances in his career, just under half of which came this year with the Rangers. He was a first-round pick of the Indians back in 2003, and once figured as a top-100 prospect, but has largely stalled out at the upper minors. In parts of eight seasons at Triple-A, he owns a .288/.351/.507 triple-slash.
Pena, meanwhile, makes an interesting return to the club with which he debuted back in 2001. The first baseman, now 36, was dealt away to Oakland after just 72 plate appearances with the Rangers and ultimately played 12 seasons with numerous other clubs before making his return. His career line stands at .233/.348/.465.
By Jeff Todd | at
JUNE 24: Obtaining bullpen help in advance of the trade deadline is a top priority, GM Jerry Dipoto told Jim Bowden in an an appearance on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
In addition to indicating that a left-handed reliever is a definite need, Dipoto suggested that the Halos may be interested in adding a new 9th inning option as well. Incumbent closer Ernesto Frieri owns a 5.83 ERA on the year, though he has registered 11.0 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9, leading to mixed views from other metrics (5.00 FIP, 3.08 xFIP, 2.42 SIERA).
MAY 29: With the loss of southpaw Sean Burnett fresh on the heels of his return to the MLB roster, the Angels may explore the trade market for alternatives, according to a report from MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter). “If the chance at acquiring somebody is there, we’re certainly going to be open to the idea,” GM Jerry Dipoto said of the possibility of adding a southpaw via trade.
The need is exacerbated, Gonzalez notes, by the fact that the team’s lone current left-hander — Wade LeBlanc — “needs to be stretched out” as a starter, according to manager Mike Scioscia. Temporarily, at least, the club could give another chance to Nick Maronde, who has been hit hard at all levels this year, or go to one of its marginal minor league options: Buddy Boshers, Brandon Sisk, and Dustin Richardson. Alternatively, says Gonzalez, demoted starter Hector Santiago could be a hypothetical possibility, or the team could choose to lean on righties Michael Kohn and Ernesto Frieri, who have reverse platoon splits over their career.
Even if the Halos look internally at present, though, the club seems a good bet to look to add another left-handed pen piece over the summer. Looking ahead, Gonzalez notes that several arms could become available. He lists Antonio Bastardo of the Phillies, the recently-acquired Troy Patton of the Padres, and the Reds’ Sean Marshall as names to watch.
By Steve Adams | at
JUNE 24: The deal is official, tweets Twins’ director of communications Dustin Morse. Burdi will head to Class-A Cedar Rapids. He will indeed receive a full-slot bonus of $1,218,800, reports John Manuel of Baseball America (via Twitter).
JUNE 17: The Twins and second-rounder Nick Burdi are closing in on a deal, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter links). Burdi, a right-hander who spent this past season as Louisville’s closer, will receive close to the full slot value of $1,218,800, according to Heyman. He adds that Burdi is scheduled to take his physical for the Twins within the week.
Burdi was thought by most to be the top college reliever in this year’s draft class. He ranked 34th on MLB.com’s Top 200 draft prospects list, 36th on Baseball America’s Top 500 and 56th on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law. Burdi’s blistering fastball has reached otherworldly heights, touching 103 mph and sitting comfortably in the 96-100 mph range. BA’s scouting report adds that he throws a power slider that can run as high as 92-93 mph but sits more in the 87-90 mph range with good depth. Law noted his ability to miss bats and generate ground-balls, adding that he has a good chance to be a big league reliever and perhaps even a closer.
This is actually the second time the Twins have drafted Burdi, as they took him in the 24th round out of high school back in the 2011 draft. He was the first of many high-profile college relievers selected by the Twins. Many reports on the Twins’ draft noted that they landed the two hardest-throwing relievers in this year’s class in Burdi and third-round selection Michael Cederoth. The Twins have already signed Cederoth as well as first-rounder Nick Gordon, so bringing Burdi into the fold would secure their top three picks. Fans that are interested in learning more about Burdi can check out the conversation he had with MLBTR’s own Zach Links for our Draft Prospect Q&A series.
By Steve Adams | at
The Pirates have outrighted Jose Tabata to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced via press release. The move clears space for second baseman Neil Walker to be activated from the disabled list.
Clearly, this is a disappointing outcome for both team and player, as Tabata was once viewed as a building block for the Pirates as they were re-tooling in 2011. Tabata inked a six-year, $15MM extension with the Bucs at the time that contains a trio of club options which can boost the deal to a total of $37.5MM. At the time of the extension, he had backed up a .299/.346/.400 rookie campaign with a .264/.351/.362 batting line and was just a nine days removed from his 23rd birthday.
Tabata, also a threat on the basepaths and a solid defensive left fielder, seemed to have quite a bit of upside, but his bat never progressed much after signing the deal. He hit .243/.315/.348 the following season and has batted .267/.328/.377 in 869 plate appearances since the contract was signed. With Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and now Gregory Polanco occupying the regular outfield spots, Tabata doesn’t have a route to everyday at-bats, though it’s somewhat surprising, given his solid glove in left and decent numbers against lefties, that he wasn’t kept on the roster in a reserve capacity.
Tabata is owed roughly $1.59MM over the remainder of the current season, $4MM in 2015 and $4.5MM in 2016. The buyout on his first option is $250K, meaning he’s guaranteed roughly $10.34MM through the end of 2016. As a player with more than three years of Major League service time that was outrighted, Tabata has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, though in doing so he would forfeit the remaining guarantee on his contract, making the option more or less a moot point.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington reportedly shopped Tabata throughout Spring Training this season but was unable to find a taker.
By Steve Adams | at
While no deal is imminent at the moment, rival officials tell ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Rays are prepared to move David Price “right now” if the right offer presents itself (ESPN Insider subscription required and recommended).
Olney notes that the Rays’ litany of injuries and surprisingly poor performances from Evan Longoria and Wil Myers have buried Tampa in the AL East cellar. Waiting for another month or more to move Price presents the Rays with a great risk, he points out, using Matt Garza as an example. The Cubs intended to trade Garza two summers go but waited too long and saw their No. 1 starter go down with a season-ending injury. Olney goes on to write:
“The expectation of rival officials is that sometime in the days ahead, some team is going to call Rays GM Andrew Friedman with the right offer, with enough pitching included to fill Tampa Bay’s organizational need.”
Olney also highlights Price’s improved performance and velocity of late, noting that the league-wide need and his resurgence have made the conditions almost perfect to move the former Cy Young winner. Indeed, while Price’s velocity has been anything but consistent, Fangraphs’ velocity chart on him shows a gradual increase from the beginning of the season, and he’s averaged 93.4 mph or better in five of his past eight starts.
Tampa is said to prefer to trade Price to the National League — or at the very least out of the AL East — but the suitors for Price will be plentiful. Olney speculates on the Giants, Dodgers and Cardinals as possible fits. Other clubs that have been connected to Price in recent weeks have been the Blue Jays and the surprising Marlins. Miami’s NL East rivals, the Braves, are reportedly unlikely to join a pursuit of Price. That’s not surprising, given how much the team had to stretch payroll simply to accommodate Ervin Santana in Spring Training.
By Steve Adams | at
Given the Phillies’ sub-par performance this season and their aging core, second baseman Chase Utley has seen his name pop up in trade talks fairly frequently. However, the lifetime Phillie tells Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that he has little interest in waiving his 10-and-5 rights (10 years of Major League service and five with his current team) that allow him to veto any trade to another team.
Asked about the possibility of waiving those rights in the event of a lengthy Phillies rebuild, Utley replied: “Well, you’re creating situations that aren’t necessarily going to happen. I guess we’d have to see at that point, but I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
A lengthy rebuild appears unlikely for the Phillies so long as Ruben Amaro Jr. is at the helm, as the GM himself told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports less than one month ago: “I don’t know if we’ll completely ‘sell’ ever. We can revamp, but we can’t completely sell out. We have to have a contending team in 2015 or ’16 — or at least a competitive team.”
Utley recognizes that the Phillies need to make improvements to win, though he also noted that every team in MLB could stand to make improvements in some capacity. He feels the Phillies can win in the future, and tells Zolecki that belief is one of the reasons he elected to sign a two-year, $27MM extension with a trio of vesting options that could make the deal worth $75MM.
The 35-year-old Utley is in the midst of yet another a fine season at the plate, slashing .295/.357/.456 with five homers in 314 plate appearances. He’s remained healthy this season, which is good news for his financial future; Utley has a clause in his contract that boosts his 2015 salary from $10MM to $15MM if he spends 15 days or less on the DL with a knee injury in 2014.
By Steve Adams | at
The Blue Jays continue to scout Jeff Samardzija, as pro scouting director Perry Minasian was in attendance for yesterday’s outing against the Reds, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Much of the chatter regarding Samardzija to this point has included speculation when it comes to Chicago’s asking price, but Morosi hears “strong indications” that the Cubs would deal Samardzija for a package highlighted by right-hander Aaron Sanchez, left-hander Daniel Norris and center fielder Dalton Pompey.
Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has maintained that he won’t include all three of those prospects in a deal for Samardzija or any other available pitcher — even David Price — according to Morosi’s report. He also notes that as much as the Blue Jays like Samardzija, they may prefer Price and Philadelphia southpaw Cole Hamels (though the latter isn’t guaranteed to be available).
The Blue Jays reluctance to deal three of their top prospects lines up with previous indicators that they may be more interested in rental players than controllable players due to a strong desire to preserve some of their farm system. Toronto has dealt away some notable prospect value — including Noah Syndergaard, Travis d’Arnaud, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, Henderson Alvarez and Anthony DeSclafani — to acquire the likes of R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes. One thing we do know is that Anthopoulos feels he will have ownership’s blessing to expand the team’s payroll if necessary.
As for the three prospects listed by Morosi, Sanchez entered the season with the highest stock of the bunch but has seen his star lose some of its luster after struggling to a 4.08 ERA and issuing 48 walks in 75 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Norris, on the other hand, has been electric, turning in a combined 1.62 ERA and 4.47 K/BB ratio in 72 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. Pompey ranked just 17th among Toronto prospects (per Baseball America) prior to the season but has boosted his value with a strong .312/.392/.460 batting line, six homers and 27 steals (in 29 attempts).
By Zachary Links | at
Here’s the latest out of the NL Central:
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
By Jeff Todd | at
Here are the day’s notable minor moves:
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