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NL International Signings: 7/2/16

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Here’s a roundup of key National League international signings not yet covered elsewhere on MLBTR.

  • The Cardinals are completing a $2.3MM deal with Cuban outfielder Jonathan Machado, and will also sign Venezuelan outfielder Victor Garcia for $1.5MM and Cuban righty Johan Oviedo for $1.9MM, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez writes. MLB.com ranks Machado the No. 10 prospect available this signing season, noting comparisons to Kenny Lofton and Ichiro Suzuki. The speedy 17-year-old was widely expected to sign with the Cardinals. MLB.com ranks Garcia the No. 12 prospect available, praising his big raw power but noting that his plate approach could use work. Oviedo is a somewhat off-the-grid signing, at least from the perspective of the available public information — he doesn’t rank in MLB.com or Baseball America’s top prospects lists. Sanchez had previously tweeted, though, that the 18-year-old Oviedo is 6’6 and 235 pounds, and already throws 94-96 MPH, touching 98. It’s not hard to see why teams would be interested in such a player. The Cardinals have the smallest bonus pool of any organization, at $2,027,300, and these three signings alone would send the team way past it.
  • The Rockies have agreed to sign Venezuelan lefty Alfredo Jose Garcia for $1M, Sanchez tweets. Garcia does not figure in either the MLB.com or Baseball America lists. There’s little information on him available online, although he appears to be the pitcher in this video.

AL International Signings: 7/2/16

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Here’s a roundup of key international signings from the American League not yet covered elsewhere on MLBTR.

  • The Astros have agreed to terms with Dominican shortstop Freudis Nova and Venezuelan shortstop Yorbin Ceuta, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez writes (Twitter links). Nova, who will receive $1.2MM, ranks eighth on MLB.com’s list of the top international prospects available this signing period. He has power potential and a good bat overall, and while he might eventually have to move to third or the outfield, he should get chances to stay at short. Ceuta ranks 11th on Baseball America’s top international prospects list, with their extensive scouting report (subscription only) noting that he could end up with good OBP figures, although he doesn’t look like a big power hitter. He could stick at shortstop or move to second base.
  • The Mariners have agreed to sign Dominican outfielder Luis Veloz to a $1.2MM deal, Sanchez tweets. Via MLB.com’s scouting report, which ranked Veloz the No. 25 prospect available this signing season, he wins praise for his arm and has good raw power, and could eventually end up a starting right fielder in the Majors. He was widely expected to sign with the Mariners.
  • The White Sox have agreed to terms with Dominican outfielder Josue Guerrero on a $1.1MM deal, via Baseball America’s international signing tracker. BA ranked Guerrero the 33rd best prospect available. He’s the nephew of Vladimir Guerrero, joining a long line of minor leaguers who are related to the former Expos and Angels star. BA’s scouting report notes that Josue has good raw power, although he might be strikeout-prone, and he’s limited defensively and might end up a left fielder.

Indians Designate Michael Martinez For Assignment

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The Indians have announced that they’ve designated utilityman Michael Martinez for assignment. The move clears space on the team’s active roster for lefty Shawn Morimando and on their 40-man roster for righty Joe Colon. The team selected Colon’s contract and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus. Morimando’s exact role with the team has yet to be announced, although it’s reasonable to assume his promotion has something to do with the Indians having played a 19-inning game against the Blue Jays yesterday and needing a fresh arm for today.

The veteran Martinez has batted .283/.306/.383 in 63 plate appearances for the Indians this season, playing second, third and all three outfield positions. That’s a considerably better offensive showing than he’d previously shown in his six-year big-league career, in which he’s batted just .199/.244/.272.

Braves To Sign Kevin Maitan, 5 Other Top International Prospects

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10:04am: The Braves have officially announced the Maitan and Gutierrez signings.

9:04am: The Braves have agreed to terms with five top international prospects, including top overall prospect Kevin Maitan, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter links: 1 2 3 4 5 6). Maitan will receive $4.25MM. The Braves also nabbed catcher Abrahan Gutierrez, No. 18 on MLB.com’s international prospects list, for $3.5MM. Dominican righty Juan Contreras, not ranked on MLB.com’s list but ranked No. 41 on Baseball America’s list, will receive $1.2MM. Dominican shortstops Yunior Severino (No. 19) and Yenci Pena (No. 22) will each receive $1MM apiece, as will Venezuelan infielder Livan Soto (No. 24).

The big prize here is Maitan, who MLB.com writes is “the best international prospect since Miguel Sano” and compares to Miguel Cabrera and Chipper Jones. He’s a switch-hitter with good power and a mature approach at the dish, and he also has an excellent arm and solid range. As the Jones comparison suggests, he ultimately projects as a third baseman. Baseball America also rates Maitan the top international prospect available this signing season, with their scouting report (subscriber only) noting that he could eventually have 70-grade raw power on the 20-80 scale. Maitan has long been connected to the Braves.

Gutierrez wins praise for his arm, receiving skills and line-drive stroke. Via Baseball America, Contreras rates as a potential power arm, as he already throws 89-94 MPH and has the projection to reach into the high 90s, although his secondary pitches lag behind his fastball. Severino has good bat speed and looks like an “offensive-minded middle infielder,” according to MLB.com’s scouting report. He struggles with offspeed stuff, although that’s hardly surprising given his age (16). Pena appears solid on both offense and defense and might be able to stay at shortstop, although he’s tall, at 6’2, and might eventually move to third. Soto’s hitting is more of the line-drive than home-run variety, although he has a good approach at the plate and could wind up playing shortstop at the big leagues if all goes well.

Needless to say, the Braves’ spending spree projects to incur penalties, including a 100 percent tax on overages beyond their assigned bonus pool of $4,766,000 and a restriction on signing any player for over $300K in either of the next two signing seasons. The addition of Maitan, however, along with the rest of their prospect haul, appears to be more than enough to make up for that.

Padres To Sign 10 Top International Prospects

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The Padres have agreed to terms with ten top international prospects, many of them reported by MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter links: 1 2 3 4 5 6). The new Padres receiving at least $1M bonuses include Dominican shortstop Luis Almanzar ($4MM), Venezuelan shortstop Gabriel Arias ($1.9MM), Dominican outfielder Jeisson Rosario ($1.85MM), Mexican outfielder Tirso Ornelas ($1.5MM), Venezuelan shortstop Justin Lopez ($1.2MM) and Dominican shortstop Jordy Barley ($1M).

The Padres also made a number signings that appear to be smaller but still significant, nabbing Venezuelan catcher Alison Quintero ($830K, according to Sanchez), Dominican righty Jose Manuel Guzman ($400K, via Baseball America’s signing tracker), Dominican righty Michell Miliano and Venezuelan shortstop Tucupipa Marcano. All told, it looks like San Diego landed a huge haul.

All six players were ranked in MLB.com’s list of the top 30 international amateurs available. Here are a few notes from MLB’s scouting reports. Almanzar ranks No. 3 and has a good bat and the potential to have a well-rounded game, with solid defensive tools and a good arm. Baseball America’s subscriber-only scouting report praises his “calm, balanced” approach at the plate, noting that scouts are divided about whether he can stick at shortstop or will have to move to second or third. Via MLB.com, Arias (No. 5) could eventually hit for average and power and has good hands on defense, though he might eventually wind up at either third base or outfield. Baseball America describes Arias as a potential 15- to 20-homer hitter.

Rosario (No. 9) projects to be an everyday outfielder in the big leagues, perhaps with a good bat. Ornelas (No. 28) makes solid contact offensively; he could eventually play first base, although MLB.com also notes he could be a utility player, the kind of open-ended evaluation perhaps typical of a 16-year-old with an unknown future ahead. Lopez (No. 27) wins praise for his defense, although he also has an improving bat. Barley (No. 15) is very fast, with good defensive actions and a strong arm.

With these signings, the Padres obviously will blow well past their international bonus pool, which is $3,347,600. They figure to pay a 100 percent tax on their pool overage, and will not be able to sign any player for more than $300K in either of the next two signing seasons.

NL Central Notes: Schwarber, Brewers, Liriano

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Injured Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber probably isn’t going anywhere this summer, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein gave strong signals that he’s got little interest in seeing Schwarber return from his knee injury in another uniform. While there’s always plenty of posturing this time of year, Epstein certainly made clear that there’s a higher-than-usual barrier to a trade involving the catcher/outfielder.

Here’s more from the NL Central:

  • The Brewers are winding up for what looks to be an important trade deadline, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports. Milwaukee has several notable names that rate amongst the top twenty trade candidates this summer, but few represent straightforward decisions. GM David Stearns says that “the calls have picked up over the last week to ten days,” though it’s “still largely informational.” Right now, the club is getting a feel for the teams it is looking to target in reaching agreements over the coming month. “You try to get a sense of what other clubs are doing, where you might have fits, so you can begin to do additional target work on certain target organizations,” says Stearns. “At this point, we feel well-prepared in terms of organizations we’re likely to have serious discussions with.”
  • Selling was never in the plans for the Pirates, but the club increasingly looks to be in a tough spot — in no small part due to the struggles of lefty Francisco Liriano, who owns a 5.33 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 on the year. Manager Clint Hurdle tells John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times that Liriano is still failing to command the ball with consistency. “Sometimes, it’s hard to pitch when you aren’t feeling the way you’ve felt when you’ve had success,” Hurdle said. “We’re going to continue to peel back the layers and try to push through this. We’ll continue to look at video. We’ll see if we can find some answers.” We have heard at least some suggestion that there’d be interest around the league in the talented lefty, who had turned in three-straight stellar campaigns heading into 2016. But he’s owed $13MM both this year and next, and surely any acquiring team would be looking for a buy-low opportunity.

NL East Notes: Teheran, Albies, Wright, Alderson, Phillies

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The Braves are giving teams the impression that it’ll take a huge haul to land Julio Teheran, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). In fact, Atlanta is signaling that it wants a return that’s “better than the Shelby Miller deal,” per a rival executive. Despite their many young arms, and ongoing rumblings regarding Teheran, the Braves are actually looking at starting pitching, GM John Coppolella tells David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Atlanta has had talks about controllable arms, per the report. Presumably, the organization is looking for value opportunities that fit its contention timeline.

Here’s more from the NL East:

  • The Braves have moved hyped prospect Ozhaino Albies down to Double-A, O’Brien tweets. It’s not a demotion, though Albies was struggling a bit at Triple-A. He’ll play second base there, pairing up with shortstop Dansby Swanson as the team’s hopeful future double-play combo gets comfortable together.
  • Injured Mets third baseman David Wright spoke to the media today and left the impression that he’s unlikely to return this year, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report. (Twitter links.) When asked whether he thought he’d be back for 2016, Wright responded: “I don’t know. I really don’t know.” But the veteran did emphasize that he has every expectation of returning to the field at some point in the future.
  • Meanwhile, Mets GM Sandy Alderson suggested recently that he doesn’t believe a major new addition is necessary to boost the team. As Marc Carig of Newsday tweets, Alderson says: “We have the capacity in the 25-man roster at this point to improve over what we’ve done over the last couple of months.”
  • The Phillies don’t expect any major player movement this summer, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. Notably, Philadelphia isn’t even sure it’ll deal righty Jeremy Hellickson, who is only under contract for this season and is pitching well enough that he’ll draw interest (though probably not a terribly exciting return). The club is under even less pressure with its relief corps, which hasn’t been quite as electric in recent weeks but still has several interesting options.

Notable Draft Signings: 7/1/2016

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Here are the day’s notable draft signings, with pre-draft scouting reports coming courtesy of Baseball America, ESPN.com, and MLB.com:

  • Infielder Nolan Jones has signed a $2.25MM deal with the Indians, Matt Mullin of the Philly Voice reports. He was taken with the 55th overall selection, which comes with a $1,159,200 bonus allocation; clearly, it took something extra to draw the high-schooler from his commitment to the University of Virginia. Jones rated as a top-twenty prospect on all of the draft boards linked to above, with the ESPN.com team placing him highest at No. 11. The consensus is that he’ll move to the third or second as a pro, with a good enough glove to be a useful fielder. The real draw, though, is a well-rounded offensive arsenal that includes projectable power.
  • The Nationals have agreed with compensation first-rounder Dane Dunning on a just-under-slot $2MM bonus, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. That’s just $34,600 shy of the allocation for the 29th selection. Dunning landed outside of the top fifty on both the BA and MLB.com boards, but checked in at No. 25 on ESPN.com’s version. They credit the University of Florida righty with the potential to start despite spending his time in the pen on a crowded staff. He’ll need to polish his change to accompany a strong fastball-slider combination to reach his upside, though.
  • Fellow Gator Buddy Reed is heading to the Padres for an as-yet-unreported bonus, Callis tweets. Taken with the 48th pick, which came with a $1,317,800 allocation, Reed was further down the ESPN.com list but landed in the low-thirties for both MLB.com and Baseball America. Reed is said to be an excellent athlete, with questions remaining about his hitting ability at the next level.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/1/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • Rays outfielder Jaff Decker cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, via Twitter. Decker struggled badly in a limited sample this year at the major league level. He has been quite a productive Triple-A hitter, though, and is still just 26 years ofa ge.
  • Outfielder Alex Presley has rejected an outright assignment with the Brewers, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports on Twitter. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo had tweeted that Presley cleared waivers. Presley heads back onto the open market after a disappointing run with Milwaukee. The 30-year-old still draws interest, and generally does plenty of damage in the highest level of the minors, but just hasn’t ever gained traction in the majors.
  • The Blue Jays have released righty Chad Jenkins, per a tweet from Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. The 20th overall pick in the 2009 draft, Jenkins has just topped one hundred frames at the major league level and does own a 3.31 career ERA. Clearly, though, the organization never felt that Jenkins warranted a more extended chance. Through 29 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, Jenkins had struggled to a 5.16 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and an uncharacteristic 5.2 BB/9.
  • Heading to the White Sox on a minor league deal is infielder Danny Muno, per Cotillo (via Twitter). Muno, 27, has had little more than a cup of coffee in the majors. He was cut loose by the Mets after posting a .239/.391/.318 slash over his first 110 plate appearances of the year at the Triple-A level.

Earlier Updates

  • The White Sox have inked center fielder Tony Campana to a minor league contract, per the team’s transactions page at MLB.com. Campana, who’s already played one game with his new organization, was recently released by the Nationals after opening the season with their Triple-A affiliate. The 30-year-old struggled at the plate this season, hitting .220/.294/.236 in 144 plate appearances after missing nearly all of the 2015 season due to a torn ligament in his knee sustained in Spring Training 2015 (with the White Sox). Campana’s 2016 struggles aren’t representative of his track record, of course. The fleet-footed veteran has a lifetime .282/.343/.347 slash line in parts of five Triple-A seasons even including this year’s line, and he’s also logged parts of four seasons in the Majors, where he’s compiled a .249/.296/.288 line between the Cubs, Angels and D-backs. Speed has traditionally been Campana’s calling card; he’s gone 66-for-75 in stolen base attempts over the life of 257 big league games and 216-for-286 in his minor league career.

Dodgers Place Kershaw, Pederson On DL; Designate Layne Somsen

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The Dodgers announced a series of moves today, brought about by injuries to Clayton Kershaw and Joc Pederson. It had been expected already that Kershaw would hit the DL with a back issue, though Pederson’s outlook wasn’t yet clear since his recent shoulder injury.

Replacing that duo will be newly-acquired righty Bud Norris and outfielder Will Venable. Norris came over via trade just yesterday, while Venable had previously been outrighted after signing with the team as a free agent.

Venable’s addition required a 40-man spot, and Somsen took the fall. He has now resided in DFA limbo on three separate occasions this year, with organizations clearly enamored of the arm but finding it hard to keep him on their big league rosters.

[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

It goes without saying, but both Kershaw and Pederson are of critical importance to Los Angeles. In the case of the former, manager Dave Roberts said today that a timeline remains unclear (via MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM; Twitter link). The skipper says that Kershaw will likely to be out for more than the 15-day minimum.

Pederson, meanwhile, has been diagnosed with a sprained A/C joint, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. It’s not yet clear how long he’s expected to miss, but obviously he’ll now be down for at least the next two weeks.

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