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NL Notes: D-backs, Braves, Bucs, Dodgers

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Diamondbacks right-handed prospect Yoan Lopez left Double-A Mobile on Wednesday for the second time in as many seasons, this time with the intention of giving up the sport, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The Diamondbacks have since convinced Lopez to avoid making a definitive decision on his future for the time being, per general manager Dave Stewart, who conceded that the 23-year-old is “not having a good time” and is dealing with “serious emotional issues.” Lopez signed with the D-backs for a sizable $8.27MM bonus in January 2015, but the Cuba native has since posted subpar numbers (4.89 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9) across 116 minor league innings. That could at least be thanks in part to Lopez’s traumatic experience immigrating to the United States, as Stewart pointed out: “It’s the escaping, crossing the water in a raft — or however he got here — living in Haiti and then going to the Dominican, leaving family members — it’s all of it.” As of now, Stewart and the organization are working to help Lopez get back on track.

More from the National League:

  • Newly signed 16-year-old Braves prospects Kevin Maitan and Abrahan Gutierrez might not be as far from the majors as their youth suggests, general manager John Coppolella told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think when you look at Andruw Jones hit two home runs in the World Series at age 18, both these kids are 16,” Coppolella said of Maitan and Gutierrez, who combined to sign for $7.75MM. “I’m not saying they’re going to hit two home runs in the 2018 World Series, but we think that they’re special talents that won’t take six or seven years. They could be here fairly quickly and they could have a big impact on the Braves.” Coppolella also stated that he hopes the two begin 2017 in the Gulf Coast League.
  • The Pirates’ frustration with scuffling left-hander Francisco Liriano has begun to manifest itself, details John Perrotto of Today’s Knuckleball. Pitching coach Ray Searage became so irked at Liriano during a recent bullpen session that the former ended up leaving and storming back into the clubhouse, according to Perrotto. Part of Searage’s frustration stems from Liriano’s refusal to abide by the Pirates’ wish for him to pick one side of the rubber and stick with it consistently. The 32-year-old Liriano, a potential trade candidate who’s owed $13MM next season, has followed three straight stellar campaigns with an ugly 2016. So far, Liriano has logged a bloated ERA (5.33) and walk rate (5.88 per nine innings) in 82 2/3 frames, and ERA estimators like FIP (5.46), xFIP (4.75) and SIERA (4.93) are also noticeably down on his performance.
  • When the Dodgers took on Dian Toscano from the Braves as part of the Bud Norris deal, the club agreed to absorb only a portion of the $3MM left on his contract, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The 27-year-old outfielder is struggling at Double-A and has not shown any signs of providing value to Atlanta. It’s not known how much of the balance will transfer to L.A.

East Notes: Arroyo, Venters, Kelly

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Veteran starter Bronson Arroyo made his second rehab start with the Nationals’ Gulf Coast League affiliate today, allowing no earned runs and two walks while striking out three over five innings. The 39-year-old is making his way back from partial rotator cuff tendon tears, and he still hopes to return to the big leagues in 2016, as MLB.com’s Bill Ladson tweets. It would be quite a comeback for the vet, who hasn’t appeared in the Majors since pitching 86 innings with the Diamondbacks in 2014. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Rays have announced that reliever Jonny Venters has a “left UCL injury,” and the injury is in fact a UCL tear, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writes (Twitter links). Venters briefly appeared in a rehab assignment in Class A+ this season. It’s been a brutal series of events for the lefty, who was attempting to come back after having Tommy John surgery for the third time. He is unsure whether to retire or continue to try to return to the Majors. Venters hasn’t appeared in the bigs since 2012, when he whiffed 69 batters in 58 2/3 innings for the Braves. Venters’ career stat line — 2.23 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, and a ridiculous 68.4% ground-ball rate — is borderline dominant, but he can’t seem to make his way back to the mound.
  • The Red Sox have moved hard-throwing righty Joe Kelly to the bullpen, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com writes. “Power arm,” says manager John Farrell. “[T]his will be the first time that we’ve shifted him to that role here. This is for multiple reasons — for the time it would take to stretch him back out, potential of shorter stints, the stuff playing up, possibly more productive.” Kelly is currently returning from a groin injury and has not pitched since early June. He’s struggled badly in six big-league starts this season. Farrell believes Kelly can make it back to the bigs just after the All-Star break. As Hannable implies, Kelly’s move to the bullpen reinforces the likelihood that the Red Sox will look for starting pitching help later this month.

Nick Swisher To Sit Out Rest Of Season

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Nick Swisher has announced via his Facebook page that he will sit out the rest of the 2016 season to be with his family following the birth of his second child. He emphasizes that he is not retiring — he will continue to train and will determine over the winter whether he will play next year.

This season must have been frustrating for Swisher. The Braves released him in late March, and he quickly signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, only to be passed over repeatedly as one Yankees first baseman after another went down with an injury. That said, it’s not hard to see why the Yankees apparently weren’t comfortable with Swisher as a big-league option — he batted just .196/.312/.320 with Cleveland and Atlanta last season, then hit a modest .255/.297/.377 in 236 plate appearances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016.

Swisher is making $15MM in the last season of a contract he initially signed with the Indians. (He has a vesting option for 2017 that obviously won’t be picked up.) The Braves are responsible for that total, although they were paid a significant sum by the Indians when they dealt for Swisher in an exchange of bad contracts last year. The 35-year-old Swisher is a career .249/.351/.447 over a dozen years in the big leagues.

This Week’s 5 Key Stories

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Here at MLBTR, we’re revamping our weekly look back to include key news and rumors rather than focusing purely on transactions, as we did in our prior Week In Review feature. Here’s a glance at five narratives that were most crucial to our coverage since last Saturday.

Marlins, Dodgers strike deals for pitchers. Two contenders attempted to upgrade their pitching staffs via the trade market this week, as the Marlins traded pitching prospect Chris Paddack for Padres closer Fernando Rodney, and the Dodgers acquired Bud Norris from the Braves in a five-player deal. As for the reasons the Dodgers felt the need to acquire Norris, read on …

USATSI_9345194_154513410_lowresPitcher injuries everywhere. This was a tough week to be a pitcher. The Dodgers placed ace Clayton Kershaw on the DL with “mild disc herniation” in his back. Kershaw won’t require surgery, but the loss of a player in the midst of an historic season is a significant blow to the Dodgers, particularly given all the other pitching injuries with which they dealt. Kershaw wasn’t the only pitcher about whom injury news was reported this week — Andrew Heaney of the Angels needs Tommy John surgery, the Twins’ Phil Hughes will miss the rest of the season after having shoulder surgery, Phillies prospect Mark Appel is out for the season after having surgery to remove a bone spur, Mets starters Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are pitching with bone spurs themselves, and Athletics reliever Sean Doolittle hit the DL with a shoulder strain. Meanwhile, the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg landed on the DL with an upper back strain, leading to the promotion of top prospect Lucas Giolito.

Matt Moore rumors build. Rays starter Matt Moore still hasn’t returned to his 2012-2013 form after having Tommy John surgery in 2014, but he’s attracting trade interest, with the Rangers one of several interested clubs. The Rays could be motivated to deal Moore in part because they could soon have a starting pitching surplus.

Veterans try to make their way back. A number of former stars latched on with new teams this week, signing minor league deals in the hope of making their way back to the Majors. Mat Latos, who was released by the White Sox earlier this season, signed with the Nationals, while veteran second baseman Omar Infante will start anew with the Braves after being released by the Royals. Jose Reyes, meanwhile, reunited with the Mets after being released by the Rockies in the wake of his domestic violence scandal.

Braves, Padres, Athletics, Nationals land big July 2 hauls. The international signing season opened today, and, as has increasingly been the case in the past few years, most of the top talent went to just a few teams. The Braves got not only Kevin Maitan, widely regarded as the top overall prospects, but several other well-regarded prospects as well. The Padres landed six prospects who received bonuses of at least $1M. The A’s got Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros and several other top players, while the Nationals paid a combined $5.2MM to land infielders Yasel Antuna and Luis Garcia. The Reds and Cardinals also made splashes. The Red Sox, meanwhile, were banned from spending on international bonus pool-eligible players this year and had several contracts voided as penalty for the use of a “package deal” mainly designed to ink outfielder Albert Guaimaro last July.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals To Sign Yasel Antuna, Luis Garcia

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The Nationals have agreed to a $3.9MM deal with Dominican shortstop Yasel Antuna, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez tweets. They’ve also come to terms with fellow Dominican shortstop Luis Garcia for $1.3MM, via the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes (on Twitter).

The 16-year-old Antuna ranks No. 14 on MLB.com’s list of the top international prospects, winning praise for his mature approach as both a hitter and fielder. He’s a switch-hitter with gap power and strong overall offensive potential, via MLB’s scouting report, and he has solid range and an improving arm and could eventually become an everyday big-league shortstop. The Nats had long been connected to the young infielder.

MLB.com is even higher on Garcia, which it rates the No. 7 prospect available, praising his contact ability and athleticism. Baseball America likes him even more, rating him the signing season’s No. 3 prospect and noting in its subscribers-only scouting report that the 15-year-old has become one of the best pure hitters available this year. He could stick at shortstop, or move to second base or center field at some point.

The Nationals’ international bonus pool is just $2,235,000, so Antuna’s deal alone would move them into penalty territory. They have also been connected to Venezuelan shortstop Jose Sanchez, also a top prospect.

Athletics Agree To Terms With Lazaro Armenteros, Others

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As expected, the A’s have agreed to terms with Cuban teenager Lazaro Armenteros on a $3MM deal, as MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez writes. (Baseball America’s Ben Badler wrote yesterday that the A’s were expected to sign Armenteros.) They also agreed to sign Dominican shortstops Yerdeluis Vargas and Marcos Brito for $1.5M and $1.1M, respectively, as Sanchez also notes. The A’s also added two more high-six-figure players to their signing class in outfielder Kevin Richards ($600K) and third baseman George Bell ($500K).

These moves all but assure that Oakland will take on the maximum penalties for exceeding its cap, which is just over $3.8MM. That will mean that the team won’t be able to spend over $300K for any single prospect for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 periods. Additionally, the club would pay a 100% overage tax for whatever amount goes over its limits.

Armenteros is, in many ways, in the same situation as the other young players who’ll soon sign. But he has long drawn added attention because of his immense physical tools, Cuban heritage, and perhaps also the recent case of another highly athletic young player from the island in Yoan Moncada.

As Badler explains, the bonus suggests that Lazarito rates as a top traditional July 2 prospect. But he’ll come nowhere near the $31.5MM contract given to Moncada (which cost double that with the penalty). Per the scouting report, Armenteros shows good power and speed, but has a ways to go in developing his hit tool and is likely to end up as a corner outfielder in the long run.

MLB.com ranks Vargas the No. 21 prospect available this signing period, praising his projectable frame, good contact ability and strong arm. Brito ranks No. 23, with MLB.com noting that the switch-hitting 16-year-old has solid bat speed and contact ability. Baseball America rates Richards the 39th-best international prospect available during this signing period, noting in its subscribers-only scouting report he’s very athletic and fast but currently has questionable offensive ability. Bell, who does not appear in either the MLB.com or BA lists, is the son of the former MLB star of the same name.

Latest On Red Sox’ International Signing Ban

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Yesterday, it emerged that MLB had banned the Red Sox from signing international amateur talent for the 2016-17 signing season, and had voided contracts to which the Red Sox had agreed with outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti, righty Cesar Gonzalez, and infielders Antonio Pinero and Eduardo Torrealba. Under the terms of MLB’s ruling, those players will get to keep the bonuses they received from Boston. MLB’s ban punished the Red Sox for using “package deals” during the last signing period to get around previous penalties for having exceeded their international pool while signing Yoan Moncada in 2014-15. Those penalties prevented the Sox from signing any player for more than $300K, but the team allegedly circumvented that penalty by paying bonuses that did not exceed the $300K threshold to multiple players with the same agent but then funneling more of those funds to the best regarded player. Here’s the latest on that story.

  • Other teams are not yet allowed to negotiate with the players who had their contracts voided, Baseball America’s Ben Badler writes (all Twitter links). The players will be eligible to pick new teams during the signing period that began today, but for now that process is on hold, while the league works with the players’ union to find the players new agents.
  • Guaimaro was the primary recipient of the Red Sox’ extra funds, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs notes, writing that he would rate Guaimaro the 17th-best international prospect for this signing season. Muzziotti projects as a fringe prospect, while the other three players look like organizational types. Still, Longenhagen notes, the Red Sox’ ban for this year is limited in scope because the team did not have a huge signing season last year or project to have one this year (although they were connected to a few prospects, including Venezuelan outfielder Roimar Bolivar).
  • An informant helped MLB gather evidence the Red Sox were violating spending rules, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. The case could prove to be significant in that it could set precedent for similar situations in the future, Drellich notes. “Other clubs would completely lose confidence in the system if MLB learned stuff like this was happening and did nothing,” a source close to the investigation told Drellich. “It’s been an important issue.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/2/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The White Sox have announced that they’ve acquired catcher Alfredo Gonzalez from the Astros and optioned him to Double-A Birmingham. Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the Astros will receive cash considerations in return. The Astros designated Gonzalez for assignment last week after he batted just .158/.236/.205 in 162 plate appearances at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 23-year-old posted a .409 on-base percentage in a 2015 season split between three levels, however, and has a reputation for having a good arm.
  • Righty Casey Coleman has opted out of his minor league deal with the Mariners, Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto tweets. Coleman is in the midst of a terrific season, with a 2.08 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 39 innings of relief in the PCL. “It was just a thing where I’ve been told I have some of the best numbers in the whole league,” said Coleman, via News-Press.com’s Seth Soffian. “Seattle had a bunch of guys that were coming off injury soon and their roster was pretty full. I’ve put myself in a situation to hopefully sign somewhere else.” Coleman, who will be 29 tomorrow, has a career 5.72 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in parts of four big-league seasons with the Cubs and Royals.

Red Sox Outright Mike Miller

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The Red Sox have outrighted infielder Mike Miller to Triple-A Pawtucket, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. The move removes Miller from the team’s 40-man roster.

The Red Sox had added him to their active roster last Monday, and he collected just one plate appearance in the big leagues before being optioned back to Pawtucket yesterday. The light-hitting 26-year-old has batted .251/.317/.301 in 180 plate appearances split between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland in 2016. He has played second, third and short this season, although he’s also appeared in the outfield in the past.

Notable Draft Signings: 7/2/16

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Here are today’s significant draft signings from around the league.

  • The Athletics have signed Florida righty Logan Shore for $1.5MM, as various reporters, including FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, have tweeted. Shore, the No. 47 overall pick, was the second Florida hurler the A’s took in this year’s draft, having used their first selection to grab lefty A.J. Puk. Prior to the draft, MLB.com rated Shore the 42nd-best prospect available, noting that he has an excellent changeup and possesses good command, helping compensate for average velocity. Baseball America rated Shore the draft’s No. 34 prospect, with its subscribers-only scouting report essentially describing him as a potential future innings-eater. Shore’s $1.5MM bonus comes in slightly above the $1,351,800 pool value for the pick.

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