The CSE Talent agency announced that it has purchased Arland Sports, with Arland founder Jason Wood taking over as the president of CSE’s baseball division. Arland Sports’ client list includes such notable big leaguers as Jake Odorizzi, Devon Travis, David Phelps and Andrew Benintendi. It isn’t known whether these players or any of Arland Sports’ other clientele will be joining Wood under the CSE umbrella, so stay tuned for any potential representation changes via MLBTR’s Agency Database. Here are some more news and notes from around the game…
- Early indications are that Cuban outfielder Luis Robert will be cleared for free agency during the current international signing period, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports, though nothing has yet been finalized. If Robert is cleared before the stricter international bonus rules come into play during the next signing period (which opens on July 2), he stands to score a much larger payday than he would if his free agency isn’t granted until after the end of the current signing period on June 15. Robert had a private workout for the Astros in the Dominican Republic and he is scheduled for workouts with the Athletics and Reds next week; the Padres, Cardinals and White Sox are also expected to bring the 19-year-old in for workouts. Chicago is the only one of those six teams that hasn’t already exceeded its 2016-17 bonus pool limit, though Badler has reported that the White Sox may be the favorites to sign the highly-touted Robert.
- Luke Hochevar could potentially sign with a team in the second half of the season, though MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan hears that “2017 is more than likely a wash for him.” Hochevar underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last August and was originally projected to be ready when Spring Training camps opened in February. Hochevar’s surgery, however, was “much more complicated” than a similar procedure for Royals prospect Kyle Zimmer (who had his TOS surgery last July and is back pitching in the minors), and thus Hochevar is apparently facing an extended recovery time. The 33-year-old Hochevar already missed all of 2014 due to Tommy John surgery, though the former first overall draft pick posted strong numbers in 2013, 2015 and 2016 out of the Kansas City bullpen.
- Eric Thames is one of the early stars of the 2017 season, as the Brewers slugger is leading the league in homers (seven), runs (15), and slugging percentage (an even 1.000) while also hitting .405 and posting a .479 OBP through 48 plate appearances. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale profiles Thames’ unique personality and unlikely career path, as he bounced around several MLB organizations before becoming a Ruthian superstar in South Korea from 2014-16.
- Francisco Lindor would be short-changing himself by signing an extension worth anything less than $100MM, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan opines. Lindor is off to a huge start in 2017, and while he is five seasons away from free agency, the Indians shortstop is putting himself in line for a massive payday. Assuming Lindor keeps producing all season, Passan argues that Lindor could ask for something in the realm of Mike Trout’s six-year, $144MM deal from the Angels.
Brewers trade Aguilar or Thames- Which one?
neither, they should both stay, both off to great starts, but realistically Thames has a higher ceiling
Thames is 30. Sell high on him.
Figures. Jays drop him and he explodes.
that was a long time ago, however same could be said about the astros and Mariners
As need to sign Luis he’s going to be amazing
That’s what every single fan base is saying though. It’s probably going to be the white sox
So, if the Tribe signs Lindor to a big extension, will that mark the end of Santana’s time in Cleveland?
I would imagine it depends on his performance this season, the progress of Bobby Bradley and/or Nellie Rodriguez, and whether or not they go on another World Series run. If the on-field product improves (let alone attendance), the Dolans may be more willing to loosen the purse strings as they did to sign Edwin Encarnación.
If the kids aren’t ready, they could in theory sign Santana to a backloaded deal that wouldn’t be significant $$ until EE is off the books.
I have a bad feeling Lindor will be too expensive for Cleveland in 5 years if he’s looking at more than $20 million per year.
It’s funny how everyone talks about who missed out on Trout, but no one talks about why the Royals took Bubba Starling over Lindor, or why AZ and WSN passed on him too – yeah Bradley and Rendon are decent, but Lindor is looking like he might just be close to the best player in the AL.
A lot more teams passed over trout than Lindor and and trout is a much better player. Yeah, KC messed up but most of the players taken ahead of Lindor are at least decent players
I remember watching Thames in Toronto thinking he could really be good if he could adjust his swing a little bit. He had an extreme uppercut which caused him to pop up a lot of balls. I watched him in Toronto a few days ago and saw his adjusted swing and knew then that he was going to be a steal for the Brewers.
Jays should send their entire lineup to SK for a few months. Maybe they’ll figure out how to hit?
it helps that he put on A LOT of muscle since his last stint in the majors.
If you’re Cuban, at what point do you logically consider that the White Sox might not be your automatic best fit just because your bro/countryman is there?
Moving countries is a pretty big deal, especially going from Cuba to the USA for baseball is pretty intense. Its understandable that a Cuban athlete would want to be around other guys who have gone through the process so you don’t feel like even a bigger outsider than you already do
And by the time they’ve defected and made it up to the majors they’ve already assimilated and don’t need the help there as much as they did through that process.
Didn’t say it wasn’t a big deal or that it’s not nice to have a guy from the same country as you around (although there are plenty of Spanish speakers in every clubhouse with similar cultures).
But again, how far does discussing with each other how harrowing it was to get to the US (which is debatable now anyways) get you before you realize…”oh s***, this team has a bigger need for my position and a clearer path….welp, good thing I can talk to my bud about Cuba tho”. I highly doubt Jose Abreu and Moncado are sitting around all day talking about Cuba libres and sandwiches and Fidel Castro.
These aren’t 12 year olds.
Well, seeing as how the White Sox are rebuilding and don’t appear to have any major league caliber outfielders in the system at this point, I’d argue that if the price is right, there aren’t many teams (if any) with a bigger need and clearer path… You might be better off making your argument about a different organization…
It’s not about sitting around to talk about sandwiches or being able to speak Spanish. This isn’t about “how will I make new friends in a new country.” Coming over from Cuba involves going through a ton of crap that 19-21 year olds shouldn’t be dealing with. They don’t just go home to their homes and families in the offseason like players from the DR, Mexico or Venezuela. Having people around for the emotional support with similar experiences is a pretty big deal.
Hindsight is always 20/20.