AL East Notes: Gausman, Melky, Beltran, Yankees
The Orioles have announced that former first-round pick Kevin Gausman will take the hill for Wednesday’s start against the Tigers. Gausman, a consensus Top 30 prospect, debuted with the O’s last season but posted a 5.66 ERA in his 47 2/3 innings with the club. He’ll look to make a better impression this time around.
Here’s more from the AL East…
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes that despite being tested three extra times last season and passing all of his mandatory tests thus far in 2014, Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera has been unable to escape the scrutiny that follows him as a former PED user. Cabrera will find out just how heavily that baggage impacts his value when he hits free agency this winter, Crasnick writes, but his teammates are quick to defend his character and skill set.
- The Yankees‘ injury problems continued to pile up, as offseason acquisition Carlos Beltran was removed from last night’s game and to undergo an MRI after hyperextending his right elbow, ESPNNewYork.com’s Andrew Marchand writes.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters, including Brendan Kuty of the Star Ledger, that he’d be “open to any external options” for his starting rotation but added, “…they’re really hard to find this time of year.” The GM wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Adam Warren shifting to the rotation with CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova all on the shelf.
Badler On Top July 2 Prospects
We’re less than two months from the kickoff of the 2014-15 international signing period, during which Major League clubs will spend a combined hundreds of millions of dollars on amateur talents from Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Many of these players will be as young as 16 years old, and Ben Badler of Baseball America has penned a pair of articles in the past two days highlighting some of the top players and their potential landing spots. A subscription is required and highly recommended in order to read the full scouting report that Badler has on each player. Here are a few of the highlights from his work…
- Huascar Ynoa, the younger brother of A’s righty Michael Ynoa, could land also land a seven-figure bonus and has been scouted by White Sox vice president Kenny Williams and GM Rick Hahn. The Red Sox have also been tied to Ynoa, and some sources of have told Badler that they expect the Twins to be involved as well. One scout told Badler that Ynoa has the tools to be a frontline starter but lacks consistency. Badler points out that his older brother’s $4.25MM signing bonus from Oakland reduces some of the urgency for Ynoa to sign immediately on July 2.
- The Blue Jays look like the strong favorites to ink Venezuelan right-hander Juan Meza, who could command a bonus as large as $1.5MM. Meza works out at Carlos Guillen‘s baseball academy in Venezuela and has a three-pitch mix (fastball, changeup, curveball).
- Fellow Venezuelan right-hander Frankin Perez is also likely to land seven figures and has been most prominently linked to the Astros. Houston is also oft-connected to Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Angel Sierra, whose bonus could reach $1MM, and Dominican outfielder Rafael Ronny, who could be the second-most expensive Dominican outfielder in this year’s class, writes Badler.
- The Yankees, who are reportedly planning to shatter the international spending limitations this signing period, are heavily linked to Venezuelan catcher Miguel Flames, Venezuelan outfielder Jonathan Amundaray and Venezuelan shortstop Diego Castillo, says Badler. Flames and Amundaray should top $1MM, while Castillo could get close to that figure, he adds.
Angels Acquire Greg Billo From Royals
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Angels have acquired minor league right-hander Greg Billo from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports (via Twitter). The 23-year-old Billo posted a sparkling 1.35 ERA with a 38-to-13 K/BB ratio in 40 innings at Class A Lexington last season but has a bloated 7.41 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 13 walks in 17 innings at Double-A this season. Kansas City selected Billo in the 28th round of the 2008 draft. Prior to the 2012 campaign, Baseball America praised Billo for having the best command of any pitcher in the Royals’ system, but that appears to have eluded him — at least for the time being.
Cuban Infielder Gourriel Signs In Japan
Two-time Serie Nacional MVP Yulieski Gourriel has signed a deal with the Yokohama DeNA Bay Stars, according to a report from Nikkan Sports (hat tip: NPB Tracker’s Patrick Newman). Gourriel’s base salary and signing bonus add up to roughly $1MM, according to the Nikkan report.
Gourriel, 29, was one of the top prospects in Cuba last decade and was rumored to be considering a defection to America multiple times. In February 2013, Baseball America’s Ben Badler wrote that it is “hard not to imagine what kind of career Gourriel would have had if he had been in the United States when he was 18,” when he was already one of Serie Nacional’s best hitters prior to consecutive MVPs at ages 20 and 21. In a separate piece last August, Badler called Gourriel one of the “most divisive and frustrating players for scouts,” noting that some felt his best days are already behind him.
Badler notes that Gourriel hit .325/.400/.500 last year and still looks like a star when he’s at his best, but he did little to impress in the Caribbean Series and the friendship series against the U.S. college national team last August. Gourriel won’t be the only notable Cuban player in NPB this season. Longtime Major Leaguer Yuniesky Betancourt and former Rays farmhand Leslie Anderson are both currently in the league as well.
NL Notes: Mets, deGrom, Montero, Phillies, Padres
Mets co-owner Saul Katz has indicated interest in selling his share of the club, which is held in partnership with team chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon, reports Michael Schmidt of the New York Times. According to the report, while Katz is concerned with jeopardizing Wilpon’s control over the team, he is nevertheless wary of continuing to pump cash into the organization. For his part, Katz denied that he had such an intention through a statement released to the press. Sources told Schmidt that the team is expected to continue losing money this year and suggested that payroll is not likely to “jump substantially” in the near future.
Here’s more from New York and the rest of the National League:
- As suspected, the Mets will call up prospect Jacob deGrom to take a bullpen slot, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The move is part of a series of maneuvers through which the team has begun shifting future assets onto its big league roster, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Baseball America ranked deGrom tenth among the team’s prospects coming into the year, noting that he could eventually develop into a mid-rotation starter.
- Perhaps the more important Mets promotion was that of fellow young hurler Rafael Montero, who will step into the team’s rotation. As Ben Badler of Baseball America notes on Twitter, Montero was inked for a mere $80K just three years ago after the club saw him impress in a Dominican Prospect League outing.
- The Phillies bench is in a state of flux amidst serious struggles, writes MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Infielder Jayson Nix was just outrighted, while recently demoted utilityman Freddy Galvis fractured his clavicle upon his return to the minors. Meanwhile, John Mayberry Jr. and Tony Gwynn Jr. are struggling as reserve outfielders, and the team currently has just one utility infielder on its roster in Reid Brignac. While a recovering Darin Ruf could see another shot at the bigs, as could infielder/outfielder Cesar Hernandez, top prospect Maikel Franco is likely not going to be called up for a bench role. Philadelphia is still just four games back in a densely-packed NL East, and it will be fascinating (as always) to see how GM Ruben Amaro Jr. attacks the trade market this summer if the team stays within striking distance.
- While the Padres have seemingly been snakebitten in the early-career extensions they have entered, GM Josh Byrnes remains committed to his thought process, writes Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “When they don’t work out, they are not killers, but they hurt,” said Byrnes. “We need our dollars to hit their targets, but I think the concept is still good. … The whole model for 20 years is the club is giving some security and taking some risk and sometimes it doesn’t work out.” Of course, the team most recently moved to lock up young infielder Jedd Gyorko to a $35MM pact.
AL Notes: Orioles, Rodney, Sabathia, A’s Catchers
We just looked at the latest from the AL Central; here are some notes from the rest of the American League:
- The Orioles will not discuss contract extensions during the season, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. “We’re not going to be exploring any extensions during the season,” said Executive VP Dan Duquette. “… Once the season starts, I think it benefits the team and the players and the fans to keep the focus on the field and the players on the field.” While star center fielder Adam Jones was inked to a mid-season extension back in 2012, Duquette explained that was a different situation since “we started that discussion during the winter, and it extended into the season.” The team is not presently in talks with any of its current crop of pending free agents, Duquette said. While shortstop J.J. Hardy had been linked to contract chatter during the spring, he and fellow free-agents-to-be Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis will seemingly be allowed to test the open market. (MLBTR’s Steve Adams just took a look an early look at the free agent case of Markakis.)
- Mariners closer Fernando Rodney said today that he wanted to stay with the Rays but never received a contract offer, reports Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). Rodney added that he received two-year offers from the Mets, Orioles, and Indians, in addition to a one-year offer from the Yankees, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Of course, Rodney ultimately went to Seattle for two years and $14MM.
- Yankees hurler C.C. Sabathia is headed to see Dr. James Andrews, tweets Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com, though thankfully the issue is in his knee rather than his left elbow. As MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch writes, the visit is viewed as precautionary, as a recent MRI showed no structural issues. “The best-case scenario is, CC gets the knee drained, rests for five days and gets a couple of bullpens under his belt and he takes the start after he comes off the DL,” said GM Brian Cashman. “That’s the best-case scenario. I’m not saying that’s the scenario we’re dealing with yet, but that’s the best.” The club will hope that proves to be the result, as its rotation is already dealing with several notable injuries. Needless to say, any ongoing issues with Sabathia would only further enhance New York’s starting pitcher needs at the trade deadline.
- The Athletics have gained more production from the catching spot than any other American League club through the combination of Derek Norris and John Jaso, writes John Hickey of Bay Area News Group. Heading into today’s action, the platoon pair had combined for an impressive .338/.419/.507 triple-slash. Indeed, that line has actually been good enough to vault the A’s catching unit into the league lead by measure of fWAR, with a healthy 1.9 wins above replacement through just 184 plate appearances. Both players came to Oakland through trades involving the Nationals, with Norris a piece in the Gio Gonzalez trade and Jaso heading down from the Mariners in the three-team Michael Morse deal.
AL Central Notes: Zagurski, Dozier, Molitor, Dyson
Left-hander Mike Zagurski, currently in Triple-A with the Indians, has a June 1 opt-out date on his current minor league deal, reports MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (via Twitter). The 31-year-old Zagurski has posted a 2.08 ERA and whiffed a third of the hitters he’s faced in his 13 innings for Columbus, Dierkes points out, though he’s also walked 10 in that time. Teams in need of left-handed bullpen depth will likely keep an eye on the veteran as his opt-out draws closer.
More from the American League Central …
- Tyler Mason of FOX Sports North spoke with Twins second baseman and leadoff man Brian Dozier about the transformation he’s made in 2014. Dozier’s OBP is up from .312 to .366 thanks to the fact that he’s doubled his walk rate, and he’s also stolen 12 bases after swiping just 14 all of last season. Dozier credits new coach and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor for the change: “[W]hat’s kind of revamped everything has been having [Molitor] on the staff. It’s been night and day compared to every other year, as far as dissecting pitchers, knowing exactly what they do, their tendencies, stuff like that.” As Aaron Gleeman points out at NBC’s Hardball Talk, Molitor is also responsible for the team’s increased reliance on infield shifts in 2014.
- MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel interviewed Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson about his ascension from growing up in the projects of McComb, Miss. to Major League outfielder. Dyson’s road hasn’t been an easy one, as Kaegel chronicles, but he credits the Royals for giving him a chance by selecting him in the 50th and final round of the MLB Draft in 2006. Dyson feels that he’s still not done developing and that he can be a regular leadoff hitter and center fielder in the Majors, whether in Kansas City or elsewhere. His preference, however, is to remain where he is: “I’d love to be here the rest of my career, because the Royals gave me an opportunity.”
Minor Moves: Komatsu, Brown, Boshers, Wilson, Rosario
Here are today’s minor transactions, with the latest moves at the top of the post…
- The Angels have signed outfielder Erik Komatsu to a minor league deal, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Komatsu, a 26-year-old former Rule 5 choice who saw brief MLB time with the Cardinals and Twins, was recently released by the Nationals.
- The Rangers have released outfielder Jordan Brown, tweets Cotillo. The 30-year-old was struggling in the upper minors this year with a .212/.286/.363 line in 126 plate appearances. Brown has seen some MLB time in the past, but his Triple-A production has been in steady decline since a strong 2009 season (.913 OPS, 15 home runs).
- Angels director of communications Eric Kay tweets that left-hander Buddy Boshers has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. Boshers was designated for assignment last week when the Halos claimed Brooks Raley off waivers from the Twins.
- Infielder Josh Wilson has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock from the Rangers, tweets Anthony Andro of Fox Sports Southwest. Texas outrighted the veteran yesterday, leaving him with 72 hours to accept his assignment or elect free agency.
- The Giants re-signed Sandy Rosario to a new minor league contract after the team released the right-hander earlier in the week, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. Rosario was bothered by leg injuries during Spring Training and has yet to pitch in 2014. The righty posted a 3.02 ERA, 1.2 K/BB rate and 24 strikeouts over 41 2/3 relief innings with San Francisco last season and was non-tendered, though Rosario was a non-roster invitee to the Giants’ Spring Training camp.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Nick Markakis
Though he technically has an option on his contract, Nick Markakis seems like a virtual lock to hit the open market this coming offseason. Markakis has a $17.5MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout, but mutual options are almost never exercised. Typically, if a player plays well enough for the team to exercise the option, that means he’s played well enough to beat the value of that option on the open market. Conversely, if a player doesn’t feel that he can top the option’s value on the open market, the team likely doesn’t wish to pay him at that level.
With that said, Markakis appears poised to join what will be a relatively weak free agent market for hitters and outfielders. Aside from Colby Rasmus (28 next year) and Melky Cabrera (30 next season), Markakis (31 in 2015) is one of the youngest free agent outfielders on the market. Older options like Michael Cuddyer, Nelson Cruz and Torii Hunter will be available, but each will also carry greater risk on a multi-year deal. From an age standpoint, Markakis is well-positioned.
From a performance standpoint, he’s begun to erase the memory of a 2013 season that saw him bat just .271/.329/.356 — disappointing numbers for a player who slashed .295/.365/.455 from 2006-12. In this season’s early stages, Markakis has upped his walk rate to 8.8 percent and is striking out a career-low 9.4 percent of his trips to the dish. Overall, he has produced a .317/.375/.414 batting line with a pair of homers and two steals. The stolen bases are noteworthy, as that pair of thefts matches the total that Markakis has posted over the past two seasons combined. Should he again become a threat to steal 10-15 bases per season, that would no doubt be appealing to teams.
Of course, Markakis’s early success isn’t guaranteed throughout the season, and there are likely some who doubt that he can sustain the production after a down year in 2013. It’s possible, though, that Markakis was slowed last year by lasting effects from a trio of surgeries that he endured in 2012. Markakis had a sports hernia procedure that January, underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone that June and then ended his season with a fractured thumb that also required surgery in September.
Prior to that poor year, Markakis had posted a 117 wRC+ and 118 OPS+ over his career, indicating that he was 17 to 18 percent better than a league-average hitter. While last season marked the only time that his OPS dipped below .756 and the only time that OPS+ and wRC+ labeled him a below-average hitter, Markakis has seen a dip in power since 2010; he averaged 20 homers with a .177 ISO from 2007-09, but he’s averaged 12 homers with a .125 ISO in four full seasons since.
On the other side of the coin is his defense. Markakis has a Gold Glove to his credit, but sabermetric defensive stats such as Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved have pegged him as a below average fielder dating back to the 2009 season. His range has been the reasoning behind those ratings, as his arm continues to be average or better, according to each metric.
Ultimately, if Markakis continues to produce at a level that’s well above the league average (as he has so far in 2014), it seems likely that clubs will be willing to overlook his rough 2013, perhaps chalking it up to a down season in the wake of several surgeries. Though that may cause some to question his durability, interested teams will be quick to note that he averaged 151 games from 2006-13 — appearing 157 games or more five different times.
Curtis Granderson was paid handsomely this offseason even after he appeared in just 61 games in his platform season. If Markakis sustains his current pace, he could well be viewed as an above-average corner bat with a few peak years remaining, even with some diminished power numbers. Markakis’ name doesn’t come up all that often when discussing next winter’s free agent class, but a typical year for him will position the longtime Oriole for a nice multi-year deal on the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
White Sox Outright Cleto; Purcey, Liddi Released
The White Sox have announced a series of roster moves, via Twitter. Recently designated right-hander Maikel Cleto has been outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte, and the team has released lefty David Purcey and corner infielder Alex Liddi from their minor league deals.
Cleto, 25, has an abundance of velocity but very little command, as evidenced by the 15 batters he walked in just 14 innings for the ChiSox this season. Cleto also hit a batter and uncorked four wild pitches in that small sample of work. In 29 2/3 innings at the big league level, Cleto has a 7.89 ERA.
Purcey, 32, posted a 2.13 ERA with 8.2 K/9 but 6.0 BB/9 in 25 1/3 innings for the Sox in 2013. This season, he’s pitched to a 4.58 ERA with 15 strikeouts against 14 walks in 19 2/3 innings at Triple-A. He’s seen a total of 206 innings in the Majors between the Blue Jays, A’s, Tigers and Sox.
Liddi, a former Mariners farmhand, slashed just .167/.200/.264 in 77 trips to the plate while with Charlotte. The powerful 25-year-old has had a few call-ups to the Majors, but he’s never been able to stick at that level. He owns a career .252/.314/.448 batting line at the Triple-A level.