Reds Sign Tyler Stephenson
The Reds have announced that they’ve signed catcher and 11th overall draft pick Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson has been assigned to short-season Billings. MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Stephenson will receive the allotted value of the pick, which is $3,141,600. Stephenson, from Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia, had been committed to Georgia Tech.
MLB.com notes that Stephenson appears capable defensively, with soft hands, a strong arm and good agility given his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). He also has good power, although his ability to make contact is a concern. Baseball America (subscription required) ranked Stephenson the 15th-best prospect in the draft, noting that his defensive ability would buy him time to work through any offensive issues that might arise. Stephenson is the third catcher the Reds have selected with a first-round pick in the past decade, joining Devin Mesoraco (2007) and the since-traded Yasmani Grandal (2010).
Jorge Alfaro Could Miss Rest Of Year
Top Rangers catching prospect Jorge Alfaro has suffered an ankle injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. Alfaro is currently wearing a walking boot, and the Rangers are considering surgery as an option.
MLB.com currently ranks Alfaro the Rangers’ second-best prospect (behind Joey Gallo) and the 38th best prospect in baseball. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Alfaro the No. 35 prospect in baseball heading into the season, while Baseball America ranked Alfaro No. 67. Alfaro, who turned 22 yesterday, has hit .253/.314/.432 for Double-A Frisco this year. He has outstanding tools, including terrific power and a huge arm, although Law notes that he has at times struggled to control them. Alfaro might therefore need the minor league development time he’ll lose as a result of the injury more than many prospects of his caliber would.
Early in the season, Alfaro’s name came up as a possibility in trade rumors involving Cole Hamels, as the Phillies reportedly coveted Alfaro. Other reports at the time, however, indicated that the Rangers preferred not to trade him.
Rangers Sign Dillon Tate
The Rangers have officially announced the signing of fourth overall pick Dillon Tate, along with the signings of righty Jake Lemoine (fourth round), shortstop Dylan Moore (seventh), righty Blake Bass (eighth), righty Peter Fairbanks (ninth), shortstop Leon Byrd (tenth), and centerfielder Ledarious Clark (12th). All have been assigned to short-season Spokane except Lemoine, who will head to the Arizona Summer League.
Tate will receive a bonus of $4.2MM, as Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets. The pool value of the pick was $5,026,500, so Tate’s signing will save the Rangers over $800K that they can use on later picks, perhaps including third-round pick Michael Matuella, who could command a bonus above his recommended $777,600 allotment. Lemoine, meanwhile, will receive $528K, which is the exact bonus allotment for his pick.
Tate, a 21-year-old junior righty from UC-Santa Barbara, earns high marks for his fastball (which can reach up to 98 MPH) and high-80s slider. MLB.com notes that his curveball isn’t as strong and that his delivery involves a bit of effort, but that Tate seems to have answered questions about whether he’s capable of starting. If in fact he doesn’t work out in that role, his arsenal would seem well suited to bullpen work — Tate excelled as a closer in college before transitioning to the rotation.
Baseball America (subscription-only), meanwhile, ranked Tate the No. 3 prospect in the draft, behind only Brendan Rodgers and Dansby Swanson. BA noted that, as a result of switching from relieving to starting, Tate greatly increased his innings total this year. That might mean the Rangers could be cautious with him as he enters his first pro season. Tate has pitched 103 1/3 innings so far in 2015, with a 2.26 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
Nats, Reds Have Discussed Aroldis Chapman Trade
The Nationals and Reds have discussed a trade involving Aroldis Chapman, although no deal appears imminent, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. (In a separate tweet, Morosi characterizes the talks as “very preliminary.”) Earlier today, Morosi wrote that the Nationals were looking for late-inning bullpen help. Chapman would obviously fit the bill, even though the Nats don’t have any specific need for a closer in particular, with Drew Storen performing well.
The 27-year-old Chapman has struggled with his control a bit more this year than in years past, with 5.6 BB/9. As usual, though, his eye-popping stuff and strikeout numbers (14.8 K/9) have been more than enough to paper over any minor control issues. Chapman’s fastball remains otherworldly, clocking in at an average velocity of 99.5 MPH this year, and his slider is very much a plus pitch as well.
Chapman is making $8.05MM this season. He is eligible for free agency after 2016. Given his dominance, he represents a bargain at his current salary. The prospect cost the Reds could command for him ought to be substantial, particularly given that he has a year of control remaining beyond this one.
Angels Sign First-Rounder Taylor Ward
7:22pm: The Angels have officially announced the signing.
6:54pm: Ward’s bonus is $1.67MM, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. That will give the Angels a savings of $364K against their pool that they can use to sign other picks.
3:56pm: The Angels have agreed to terms with first-round pick Taylor Ward, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. Ward, a 21-year-old junior catcher from Fresno State, was the 26th overall pick of the draft. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the pool value of the pick is $2,034,500.
MLB.com calls Ward “primarily a catch-and-throw guy,” noting that his arm and overall defensive potential should make him at least an MLB backup but that his hitting isn’t as strong. Baseball America (subscription-only) offers similar praise for Ward’s excellent arm but notes that his offense is a concern despite a bit of power, pointing out that he “lacks a natural feel for hitting.”
Nationals Looking For Late-Inning Relief Help
The Nationals are contacting teams in search of late-inning relievers, both right-handed and left-handed, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. The Nationals appear set at closer, with Drew Storen having a terrific season, and their bullpen as a whole hasn’t been a weakness, ranking fifth in the NL in xFIP. It ranks tenth in the NL in ERA at 3.66, however, and hasn’t always gotten solid performances from key relievers beyond Storen. Aaron Barrett (who the Nats recently lost to a bicep strain) and Craig Stammen are on the disabled list. Rafael Soriano, Tyler Clippard and Jerry Blevins are all gone from last year’s team.
Meanwhile, the Nationals’ rotation has pitched just 5.8 innings per game this season, as CSN Washington’s Mark Zuckerman notes. The Nats don’t want to overwork bullpen veterans like Casey Janssen or Matt Thornton, which means the team has frequently had to worry about where its innings will come from. The team recently activated the newly acquired David Carpenter when it placed Barrett on the DL, and Carpenter might provide a bit of help, but it’s not surprising that the Nats would also want to look elsewhere.
Dodgers Acquire Ronald Torreyes, Designate Barney
The Dodgers have acquired infielder Ronald Torreyes from the Blue Jays for cash considerations, the teams have announced. To clear space on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers have designated Darwin Barney for assignment and optioned Torreyes to Double-A Tulsa.
The Blue Jays acquired Torreyes from the Astros last month. The 22-year-old has hit a disappointing .175/.208/.200 in the high minors this season, but he held his own at Triple-A Oklahoma City (then an Astros affiliate) as a 21-year-old last season, batting .298/.345/.376. He can also play a variety of infield and outfield positions, which might make him a useful bench player someday.
The 29-year-old Barney spent several seasons as a starting shortstop and second baseman for the Cubs, but Chicago traded him to the Dodgers in the middle of Barney’s disappointing 2014 season. He then wound up in the minors, and this year, he’s hit poorly for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a .214/.273/.259 line in 121 plate appearances.
Minor Moves: Pacheco, Coke, Young, White
We’ll track the days minor moves here:
- Catcher Jordan Pacheco has accepted his outright assignment with the Diamondbacks and will head to Triple-A Reno, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. The D-backs designated Pacheco for assignment last week after he hit .242/.333/.333 in 78 plate appearances.
- As expected, the Blue Jays have selected the contract of lefty Phil Coke, per a club announcement. Coke worked out of the Cubs bullpen earlier in the year, showing a big fastball and strong peripherals (8.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 63.6% GB%) but struggling nonetheless to keep runs off the board. Toronto will hope that Coke can provide a useful southpaw component in the pen as the team assesses its options heading into trade season.
- The Braves have outrighted outfielder Eric Young Jr. to Triple-A, the club’s top affiliate announced on Twitter. Young, 30, has slashed just .169/.229/.273 in 85 big league plate appearances this year. After opening the season with a significant role, Young’s playing time dwindled to a trickle with his struggles and the resurgent play of late addition Cameron Maybin.
- Also headed to Gwinnett is righty Alex White, who has signed a minor league deal with the Braves just days after being released by the Astros. The 26-year-old, former top-100 prospect has not lived up to his pedigree in recent seasons. His stock had already fallen by the time Houston acquired him from the Rockies before the 2013 season, and Tommy John surgery caused him to miss that whole year. Since then, White has allowed over six earned runs per nine innings at the Triple-A level. This season, he struck out only 18 batters in 43 2/3 frames.
Athletics Sign Dayan Viciedo
3:35pm: Viciedo has signed a minor-league deal and will head to Triple-A Nashville, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
2:46pm: The Athletics have signed former White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. It’s currently unclear whether the deal is of the Major-League or minor-league variety, and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported earlier today that Viciedo had many minor-league offers in hand but was hoping for a big-league deal.
The White Sox released Viciedo in February after a disappointing 2014 season in which he hit 21 homers but posted a .281 OBP and struggled defensively. He then caught on with the Blue Jays, but he requested his release at the end of Spring Training and has not played since. Viciedo has obvious deficiencies as a player, but he’s only 26, and as Eddy points out, he’s a career .291/.331/.507 hitter against lefties. He could perhaps be useful as a bench bat.
Heyman’s Latest: Twins, Mariners, Draft, Viciedo
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports’ latest column contains notes on every team throughout baseball. Here are a few highlights.
- The Twins are surprise contenders this year, and they’re open to acquiring a middle-of-the-order hitter, possibly an outfielder, Heyman writes. They could also seek relief help.
- After trading for Mark Trumbo, the Mariners seem to lack budget flexibility, which might be the reason they weren’t a serious contender for Rafael Soriano despite Fernando Rodney‘s poor performance this season.
- The Astros are expected to sign No. 37 overall pick Daz Cameron for about $4MM, Heyman notes. Cameron, who is committed to Florida State, fell in the draft due to signability concerns.
- The Marlins are close to signing first baseman Josh Naylor, the No. 12 overall pick in the draft.
- The Dodgers might have a tough time signing No. 35 overall pick Kyle Funkhouser. The righty could head back to Louisville for his senior season, much as Mark Appel spurned the Pirates a few years back so he could complete his degree at Stanford and re-enter the draft the following year.
- Free agent and former White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo has received offers for minor-league deals, but he’s holding out for a big-league contract, Heyman reports.
- MLB might think about moving the draft from Secaucus, New Jersey to a different location, perhaps Omaha. That would allow more top prospects to attend.