AL East Links: Balfour, Price, Drew, BoSox
Grant Balfour is no longer the Rays‘ closer, as manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that his team is moving to a closer committee. The demotion comes as no surprise following Balfour’s rough performance on Sunday, when he allowed the Mariners to score five runs in the ninth inning. Balfour has struggled badly this season, posting a 6.46 ERA and recording almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (21) over 23 2/3 innings of work. The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $12MM free agent contract with Tampa in the offseason. If you have Balfour on a fantasy team, stay tuned to @CloserNews (MLBTR’s save-centric sister Twitter account) to keep tabs on the Rays’ bullpen and other late-game situations throughout baseball.
Here’s some more from the AL East…
- The Rays could be sellers at the trade deadline, and Fangraphs’ Eno Sarris looks at some of the club’s veteran pieces with a particular focus on David Price. While Tampa Bay will rightly seek a big prospect haul for Price, Sarris notes the difficulty in finding a contender (especially outside the AL East) who has the necessary minor league depth to swing a trade. Sarris also notes that a fire sale seems unlikely, as the Rays will still look to contend in 2015.
- Peter Gammons discussed several Red Sox topics in an interview on the Dennis & Callahan radio show this morning (WEEI.com’s Conor Ryan has a partial transcript). While Gammons doesn’t think the Red Sox regret signing the struggling Stephen Drew, “there are so many political angles at play here that you’ve just got to wonder, ‘What are they going to be a year from now?” Gammons believes the Boston media’s criticisms of Xander Bogaerts‘ ability to play short pressured the club to re-sign Drew, whereas Gammons felt the Red Sox should’ve acquired an outfielder instead.
- Gammons doesn’t see the Red Sox becoming major sellers if they fall out of the race because they want pitchers like Jon Lester and John Lackey back in 2015 and also “just because of the nature of the Boston fans and because of the nature of the market and because of NESN.” A.J. Pierzynski could potentially become a trade chip if the Sox fell far enough out of a playoff spot, which would open the door for Christian Vasquez to get called up and gain some big league experience.
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington won’t make moves for the sake of making moves, John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes, as the current roster will have to prove its worth as a contender over the next six weeks to convince the front office to pursue upgrades.
- Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette appeared on Middays With MFB today (again, tip of the cap to WEEI.com’s Conor Ryan) and said that trade talk around the league is slow since so many teams are still technically in contention. “There aren’t many sellers, from what I can tell. Usually after the draft, which was just completed, teams will start calling around, but I only know that there’s just a couple of sellers right now….It’s going to be challenging to add to the team,” Duquette said.
- The Yankees should look to shake up their struggling lineup by getting rid of Brian Roberts and Alfonso Soriano, Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog opines. Since Derek Jeter won’t be moved down in the lineup due to his stature, Axisa suggests that Jeter actually become the leadoff hitter in order to have the Yankees’ best four hitters (Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mark Teixeira, Yangervis Solarte) all hit in a row.
Dodgers Agree To Terms With Alex Verdugo
The Dodgers and second-round draft pick Alex Verdugo have agreed to terms on a $914.6K bonus, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link). The bonus directly matches the assigned value of the 62nd overall pick. Verdugo had committed to attend Arizona State.
Verdugo, 18, is a Tucson high schooler who was drafted by the Dodgers as an outfielder, though he was also well-regarded as a left-handed pitcher. Baseball America, in fact, believes that Verdugo’s “professional future is definitely on the mound,” describing him as “a strike-thrower” with two breaking balls and a changeup, plus a fastball in the 88-90mph range.
BA ranked Verdugo as the 55th-best prospect in the draft and MLB.com ranked him 60th, though both rankings may have been made with him in mind as a pitcher. Dodgers VP of amateur scouting Logan White told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that pitching could still be in Verdugo’s future, as “if he doesn’t hit, he’ll go right to the mound. I think he can be a big league pitcher.”
Latest On The First Base Trade Market
First basemen who “are available” to be traded include the Yankees’ Kelly Johnson, the Phillies’ John Mayberry Jr., the Nationals’ Tyler Moore and the Pirates’ Gaby Sanchez, sources tell Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. Johnson and Sanchez are new additions to the rumor mill, while Mayberry and Moore have both been recently cited as possible trade chips.
The quartet is cited in the context of Mitch Moreland‘s season-ending ankle surgery, leaving the Rangers dealing with yet another major injury. Despite losing a host of notable players to the DL, Texas is still just 2.5 games behind Seattle for the last AL wild card slot, and could still be looking to make additions down the stretch. Texas had previously had exploratory talks with the Nationals about Moore, though MLB.com’s Bill Ladson noted those talks weren’t serious.
Johnson has played 23 games at first for the Yankees this season, though he has spent the large majority of his career as a second baseman (plus some time at third and in left field). Despite Yangervis Solarte‘s emergence, the Yankees’ infield depth is still thin, so it would be somewhat surprising to see New York move a versatile player like Johnson elsewhere. Johnson is still owed roughly $1.845MM from the one-year, $3MM deal he signed with the Yankees last winter.
Sanchez was the subject of some trade rumors last year, though he remained with the Bucs as the right-handed hitting half of a first base platoon. While he has a solid .255/.303/.510 slash line with five homers in 109 PA this year, Sanchez has made almost twice as many plate appearances against righties as he has against lefties since the Pirates have faced an unusually large amount of right-handed starters; Pittsburgh hitters as a whole have made only 366 PA against lefties in 2014, by far the lowest in the majors. Sanchez has a career .903 OPS against southpaws against just a .700 OPS against righties, so he could certainly provide a contender with a useful part-time or bench bat.
Rangers first basemen have combined for -0.9 fWAR this season, and five other teams (the Twins, Astros, Indians, Royals and Mariners) have also received sub-replacement level production from their first basemen.
Quick Hits: Winkler, Choi, D’Arnaud
Rockies prospect Daniel Winkler is headed for an MRI after injuring his elbow, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. Winkler left the Double-A Tulsa Drillers’ game against the Springfield Cardinals in the fourth inning Saturday. Winkler isn’t as well known as Rockies prospects like Jon Gray and Eddie Butler, but he has performed brilliantly this season, posting a 1.41 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 70 innings. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- The Mariners will likely need to make a 40-man roster move Monday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets. Minor-league first baseman Ji-Man Choi is expected to return from a 50-game PED suspension, and he’ll need to take an active spot on the 40-man once again. Choi, 23, was off to a great start for Triple-A Tacoma, hitting .394/.500/.545 in 40 plate appearances there. He hit .295/.394/.535 in 499 plate appearances at three levels in 2013.
- The case of Travis d’Arnaud proves the difficulty involved in predicting which prospects will succeed, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes. The Mets optioned d’Arnaud to Triple-A Las Vegas this weekend after he hit .180/.271/.273 in 145 plate appearances so far this season. Nonetheless, many Mets officials remain upbeat about the former top prospect’s future. “He’s so athletic,” says one. “I think he will be a frontline guy, a pretty good everyday player who will hit some home runs. Is he Buster Posey? I don’t know. But do I think he can be in the big leagues on an everyday basis for eight, ten years? Absolutely.”
NL Notes: Cole, Roark, Phillies
Pirates ace Gerrit Cole has landed on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue, but the team doesn’t believe the shoulder has any structural damage, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. That could be great news for the Bucs, who will need Cole if they hope to make noise in the playoff race this summer. The injury, which came to light almost three years to the day after Cole was selected first overall in the 2011 draft, is a reminder of the uncertainty of drafting pitchers in a season that’s been full of such reminders. Here are more notes from around the National League.
- The career trajectory of Tanner Roark of the Nationals is perhaps a more pleasant story about the uncertainty of pitching — the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore describes Roark as “a potential rotation piece that fell out of the sky.” The Rangers drafted Roark in the 25th round in 2008, then shipped him to Washington with another minor-leaguer for Cristian Guzman in 2010. Even in 2013, the Nationals used him as a reliever in Triple-A. But he pitched brilliantly down the stretch for the Nats in 2013 and has been nearly as good this season, posting a 2.91 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 as a key part of Washington’s rotation.
- Chase Utley of the Phillies tops the list of the best bats who might be available in trade this summer, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. It’s unclear whether the Phillies will commit to trading veterans, but even if they do, some of them (like Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee) would be difficult to trade anyway. Utley, who is signed to a reasonable contract and is still very productive, is a different story. Utley has the right to veto any trade, however, since he has 10-and-5 rights, and the Phillies have shown no interest in trading Utley.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- There were five installments of MLBTR’s Draft Prospect Q&A series in the days leading up to the 2014 draft: Nick Gordon (by Zach Links) selected by the Twins in the first round and fifth overall (1-5), Aaron Nola (by Zach) chosen by the Phillies 1-7, Michael Chavis (by Zach) drafted by the Red Sox 1-23, Braxton Davidson (by Steve Adams) tabbed by the Braves 1-32, and Jacob Gatewood (by Steve) picked by the Brewers in the Competitive Balance Round A and 41st overall.
- Agent David Sloane of Taurus Sports told MLBTR left-hander Justus Sheffield, drafted by the Indians with the 31st-overall pick, agreed to terms at $1.6MM plus the value of a scholarship to Vanderbilt (approximately $250K).
- A baseball source told MLBTR there is no truth to a report the Cubs were asking for a competitive balance draft choice to be included in any trade for Jeff Samardzija.
- Zach was the first to report right-hander Luis Ayala agreed to a minor league contract with the Blue Jays and the deal does not include an opt-out.
- Charlie Wilmoth asked MBTR readers to rank last offseason’s best short-term free agent signings (defined as a player who agreed to an one-year contract or a minor-league deal and has produced more than 1 fWAR at the time of the poll). Nearly 68% of you rated the Orioles signing of Nelson Cruz as number one.
- Steve hosted the weekly live chat and also anchored the MLBTR draft chat.
- Zach put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
Draft Signings: Skoglund, Rays, Helmink, Bukauskas
Here are today’s notable draft news and signings:
- The Royals have agreed to terms with third-round pick Erik Skoglund, who will get the bonus pool amount of $576K, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Skoglund is a projectable lefty and a junior out of Central Florida.
- The Rays have signed their sixth- through ninth-round draft choices, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin tweets. Sixth-rounder Mac James, a catcher from Oklaholma, is a junior, but the other three players (RHP Mike Franco of Florida International, 3B Daniel Miles of Tennessee Tech, and RHP Chris Pike of Oklahoma City University) are all seniors, so the Rays will likely save money against their bonus pool with those picks.
- The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with 12th-round pick Holden Helmink, a righty from a Texas junior college, on a deal worth $100K, Cotillo tweets. $100K is the maximum a team can pay a player drafted after the tenth round without it counting against the team’s bonus pool.
- The Dodgers have agreed to terms with fifth-rounder Jared Walker, a lefty-hitting third baseman from a Georgia high school, on a deal for the bonus pool value of $297K, Cotillo tweets. Walker was committed to Kennesaw State.
- The Rangers have signed sixth-round pick Jose Trevino, Trevino himself tweets. Texas selected the Oral Roberts junior third baseman at No. 186 overall. The bonus pool value of that pick is about $229K.
- The Rockies have agreed to terms with sixth-rounder Max George, Neil Devlin of the Denver Post tweets. The 5-foot-9 shortstop is a local product, hailing from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora. There was no immediate word on George’s bonus, but the pool value of the pick is about $259K.
- The Blue Jays have announced the first signings of their 2014 draft class: prep catcher Matt Morgan (4th round) and Florida right-hander Justin Shafer (8th round). No terms were released, but the slot value (per Baseball America) for the two picks are $458K and $159.9K, respectively.
- Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas tweeted he will honor his commitment to the University of North Carolina and not sign with the Diamondbacks. Bukauskas, rated #33 by Baseball America and #38 by MLB.com, lasted until the 20th round (#600 overall) after asking teams last month not to draft him because he wanted to attend UNC.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Heath Bell, Brad Meyers
Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:
- Reliever Heath Bell has opted out of his minor-league deal with the Orioles, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Bell had signed with the Orioles in mid-May after being released by the Rays, and the veteran closer pitched 10 2/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 4.22 ERA while striking out 11 and walking six.
- The Nationals have released right-hander Brad Meyers, reports Geoff Morrow of PennLive.com. Meyers made six starts for the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate this year posting a 7.12 ERA, 4.1 K/9, and 4.9 BB/9 in 24 innings. The 28-year-old, Washington’s 2007 fifth-round draft choice, has battled shoulder and back injuries the past two seasons and has not advanced past Triple-A.
- Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, seven players remain in DFA limbo: Jose Veras (Cubs), Jordan Pacheco (Rockies), David Huff (Giants), Kent Matthes (A’s), Jason Lane (Padres), Josh Lueke (Rays), and Jason Kubel (Twins).
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Seniors, Rodon, Archer, Hale
The number of college seniors taken in the first ten rounds of the draft increased when bonus pools were instituted in 2012, and the trend toward college seniors reached new heights in 2014, Clint Longenecker of Baseball America writes. Teams took a total of 71 seniors in the first ten rounds, including a total of 36 in the ninth and tenth rounds. Since seniors have little leverage, they can often be signed cheaply, and teams can use the pool savings on a senior drafted in, say, the ninth round on players drafted earlier, or even on hard-to-sign talents from Day 3. Here are more notes on the draft.
- With the third overall pick in the draft, the White Sox drafted lefty Carlos Rodon, and 105 picks later, in the fourth round, they also drafted his catcher at NC State, Brett Austin. Austin is a big fan of his current, and perhaps future, teammate, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports. “I’m going to branch out and say he could be like a Clayton Kershaw one day,” says Austin. “It’s bold to say, but I’ve heard someone say he’s the best amateur pitcher they’ve ever seen over the last 20 years. And me catching him for the last three years, I’ve kind of started to believe that, too.”
- Many high schoolers who were selected this week have difficult decisions ahead, and Fangraphs’ David Laurila checks in with high school product Chris Archer and college product David Hale to see what led them to decide when to turn pro. “If a company … is willing to offer you a large advance, and is willing to pay the expenses of school if it doesn’t work out … that’s something you probably want to take advantage of, especially if your family can’t necessarily cover all of your school expenses,” says Archer. The Rays pitcher, who was drafted by the Indians in the fifth round in 2006, adds that he also thought signing out of high school would help him develop as a pitcher, given how raw he was when he was drafted. Hale, meanwhile, thought he might be drafted somewhere from the third through eighth rounds out of high school, in which case he wouldn’t get enough money to sway him from going to Princeton. He went to college, signed with the Braves after his junior year, and quickly finished his degree the following offseason.
AL Notes: A’s, Moreland, Rangers, Konerko, Draft
The Yankees‘ offense may be struggling, but former catcher Jorge Posada says that he wouldn’t be much help if he suddenly came out of retirement. “I can’t play that game anymore,” Posada told Mitch Abramson of the Daily News at last night’s Miguel Cotto-Sergio Martinez fight at Madison Square Garden. “It’s too fast. They’re throwing too hard. I’m happy. I think my decision was great. I couldn’t play that game anymore. It’s a tough sport.” More from around baseball:
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if the A’s might look to add more punch at second base. Eric Sogard, Nick Punto, and Alberto Callaspo haven’t been doing much offensively so far, but a premium second baseman would require a substantial return. The A’s won’t part with Addison Russell and minor league right-hander Raul Alcantara is hurt.
- The Rangers have lost their second first baseman to the disabled list with the news Mitch Moreland will undergo left ankle reconstruction and is expected to miss three months. In the wake of Kendrys Morales‘ signing with the Twins, ESPNDallas.com’s Richard Durrett examines the Rangers’ in-house options to replace Moreland.
- Paul Konerko was caught off-guard when he was traded by the Dodgers on the Fourth of July 16 years ago, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “I was surprised not because I got traded, but because of the timing of the trade,” said Konerko, who was dealt to the Reds for closer Jeff Shaw. “I don’t think it really mattered what they got at that point. It didn’t seem like they were going to win.” The Dodgers, who finished third in 1998, were 12 1/2 games out of first place and eight games behind in the Wild Card race at the time of the deal. The Reds flipped Konerko to the White Sox seven months later for outfielder Mike Cameron and the rest is history for the South Siders.
- ESPN’s Keith Law breaks down the draft for each American League club (through Round Ten) in an Insider-only piece (subscription required).
Edward Creech contributed to this post.