Orioles Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Grayson Rodriguez
The Orioles have agreed to a $4.3MM bonus with first-rounder Grayson Rodriguez, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). As expected, per a recent report from Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com, Rodriguez will receive just less than the $4,375,100 bonus pool allocation that comes with the 11th overall pick that the Baltimore used to select him.
Entering the draft, evaluators saw Rodriguez as a clear first-round talent, but graded him just outside the top twenty or so draft-eligible prospects. But the O’s did not feel they were settling for the young right-hander.
Indeed, scouting director Gary Rajsich was effusive in his comments on the team’s top incoming amateur player. “We love him and we were just thrilled he was there for us at pick 11,” said Rajsich, who credited Rodriguez for possessing “a unique combination of power and polish.
Independent prospect rankings just aren’t quite as smitten, clearly, which makes Rodriguez all the more interesting to track as he enters the professional ranks. While the differences are in large part matters of degree and emphasis, there’s a split of opinion.
ESPN.com’s Keith Law, who ranked Rodriguez 22nd on his board, wrote: “[Rodriguez] has more effort in his delivery, and there’s at least a little concern that his trouble repeating it will eventually point him to the bullpen. He also hasn’t shown much of a third pitch to date.” Rajsich, meanwhile, says that his club’s new power arm comes with “advanced command of four pitches” and an “advanced delivery that he can repeat.”
O’s second-rounder Cadyn Grenier is also nearing a deal, Melewski adds. He, too, is expected to come in just under his slot value ($1,923,500).
Rays Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Matthew Liberatore
The Rays have a deal in place with first-round draft pick Matthew Liberatore, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports on Twitter. He’s slated to receive a $3.5MM bonus, per the report.
Liberatore was widely tabbed as a top-five talent, with MLB.com ranking him second on its board. But he lasted until the 16th pick on the day of the draft, leaving many to wonder just how that happened.
While the presumption seemed to be that the Rays had promised Liberatore an over-slot bonus, given that the club has a big war chest due to its compensation selections, that does not appear to have been the case. Liberatore will evidently come in right around the slot value of $3,603,500.
In any event, the Rays are surely thrilled to add a high-end southpaw prospect from their perch in the middle of the first round. Liberatore has at times shown top-shelf fastball velocity, but hasn’t maintained it. Otherwise, he’s a pitching coach’s dream, with an advanced pitch mix that he knows how to use and a big frame that could still support further development.
Dennis Santana Diagnosed With Rotator Cuff Strain
7:53pm: The team is now calling Santana’s injury a right rotator cuff strain, Gurnick tweets.
6:43pm: Dodgers righty Dennis Santana has been diagnosed with a torn lat, manager Dave Roberts told reports including Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (Twitter links). In related moves, relievers Pat Venditte and Adam Liberatore are joining the active roster, while Brock Stewart was optioned.
Roberts also provided updates on a few other hurlers (via Gurnick; all links to Twitter). Righty Kenta Maeda is on track for a potential return next week, while southpaw reliever Tony Cingrani has been diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain that isn’t believed to be serious. As for ace Clayton Kershaw, Roberts says his ailing back is currently symptom-free, which seems a promising note at an early stage of his recocvery.
The most important news here involves Santana, the 22-year-old who was just brought up for his first MLB action. Entering the season, there was no real indication that he’d be called upon this soon to play a role in the majors. But even as he worked to a 2.54 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in ten outings in the upper minors, the big league staff was beset by injuries.
It’s not known how long Santana will likely be sidelined. Roberts indicated that there’s further medical assessment to be done before that will be clear. But it seems reasonable to anticipate a fairly lengthy absence. Santana will accrue MLB service time while he’s on the disabled list. He’ll also occupy a 40-man spot unless and until he’s moved to the 60-day DL.
Angels Select Contract Of Jose Miguel Fernandez
The Angels have selected the contract of infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Fernandez will take the active roster spot vacated by Shohei Ohtani, who’s heading to the disabled list with a UCL sprain.
The organization also announced another roster tweak. Infielder Nolan Fontana was recalled to join the active roster. He’ll take the place of Kaleb Cowart, who’s headed to the DL with an ankle sprain.
Fernandez, a former Cuban star who’s now thirty years of age, will come up to the majors for the first time in his career. He spent most of last year playing at Double-A with the Dodgers organization and landed with the Halos on a minor-league pact after being released.
Long known for his plate discipline — in his last full season in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, way back in 2013-14, he drew 65 walks and struck out only ten times — Fernandez has been a force at the plate in the upper minors. This year, he’s slashing .345/.412/.562 with ten home runs and a 19:20 K/BB ratio over 226 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.
Fernandez will get the start at first base tonight in his debut. He has split his time evenly between first, second, and third at Salt Lake, so he’ll be another option around the diamond. Fontana is an even more versatile infielder, as he can also play shortstop. He’s carrying a .282/.436/.493 batting line with twenty walks against 18 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances this year at the Halos’ top affiliate.
Angels Place Shohei Ohtani On Disabled List With Grade 2 UCL Sprain
3:40pm: Angels GM Billy Eppler provided further details on the situation, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter links). Ohtani reported elbow stiffness after being removed from his most recent start for a blister, prompting the medical review. When asked whether Ohtani can avoid Tommy John surgery, Eppler responded: “We’re hopeful that he can, that it is completely treatable with the biologic prescription the doctors recommended.”
2:03pm: In an alarming announcement, the Angels revealed today that right-hander Shohei Ohtani has been placed on the 10-day DL with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He’s already received platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injections, per the Angels, and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
The move comes as a brutal blow to an Angels staff that is without Matt Shoemaker indefinitely and without J.C. Ramirez for the balance of the season. It was reported shortly after Ohtani signed with the Angels that the young phenom had a Grade 1 sprain of his UCL when teams were courting him this offseason. Every organization was made aware of that information, and it obviously did little to dissuade clubs from embarking on an elaborate and high-profile courtship of the former NPB sensation. He also received a PRP injection for that injury at the time.
The preexisting elbow damage was either minimal enough or had healed to the point that Ohtani was able to pitch throughout Spring Training and quickly enter super-stardom in his first two months with the Halos. Not only has the 23-year-old pitched to a pristine 3.10 ERA with 11.1 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9 in 49 1/3 innings, he’s also been one of the Angels’ best hitters. In 129 plate appearances, Ohtani has raked at a .289/.372/.535 pace with six homers, eight doubles and a triple. He’s walked at an 11.6 percent clip against a 25.6 percent strikeout rate, and he’s even stolen a base in his lone attempt.
With Ohtani out of commission for at least the foreseeable future, the Angels will have Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, Jaime Barria and Parker Bridwell as rotation options. But any more significant absence for Ohtani, coupled with significant recent injury histories for a number of the currently-healthy members of the Angels’ rotation mix, could push the Angels out into the market for rotation upgrades later this summer. Despite their excellent 35-28 record, the Angels find themselves 4.5 games back of the surprising Mariners in the American League West, and they’re 3.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot at present.
Marlins Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Connor Scott
FRIDAY: Scott will receive the slot value, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets. The team is introducing him tonight.
TUESDAY: The Marlins have agreed to terms with first-round draft selection Connor Scott, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. The deal will not be finalized until the completion of a physical.
Scott, a high-school outfielder and left-handed pitcher from Florida, was taken 13th overall by the Miami organization just yesterday. That choice comes with a $4,038,200 bonus allocation, but it’s not known what rate Scott has commanded in his first pro contract.
Entering the draft, the clear consensus was that Scott was a first-round talent. Major ranking outfits placed him between #17 (ESPN.com’s Keith Law; sub link) and #23 (Baseball America) among draft-eligible players. He ultimately moved up the board a bit — as did several other position players — on draft day.
Scott stands out most for his speed, but is said to possess quality tools across the board. On the whole, it seems he has the potential to be a quality regular outfielder who contributes in all aspects of the game. Of course, part of the intrigue with Scott is that there’s an alternative path to the majors if his development stalls. BA’s report notes that “some scouts prefer Scott on the mound,” though the Marlins hope he’ll reach the majors as a center fielder.
Jose Torres Suspended For Remainder Of Season Under Domestic Violence Policy
Major League Baseball has announced that Padres pitcher Jose Torres has been suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Technically, it’s a 100-game ban that will be considered to have started on June 5th.
Torres has been on the restricted list all season long after he was arrested in February and charged with a host of crimes after a domestic disturbance. He stood accused of pointing a gun at a woman with whom he was in a domestic relationship, with criminal charges for assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage, and intimidation as well as for possession of marijuana.
At one point, at least, Torres was scheduled to go to trial in July, but may well have reached a plea agreement. The league typically awaits resolution of a criminal case before issuing a suspension, though the joint domestic violence policy does not condition the authority to do so upon any legal action.
This ban appears to be the longest yet handed down by commissioner Rob Manfred. Previously, Hector Olivera‘s 82-game suspension had been the lengthiest under a policy that was instituted in the summer of 2015.
Astros Designate Tim Federowicz
The Astros have designated backstop Tim Federowicz for assignment, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic tweets. That move will allow the team to activate fellow receiver Brian McCann from the DL.
Federowicz did not see much game action during his brief stint in the majors, striding to bat only seven teams. He has seen time in seven MLB seasons, but only once has taken more than 78 plate appearances. Federowicz had been hitting quite well at Triple-A, though, with a .337/.407/.584 slash in his 113 plate appearances.
Mets Place Jeurys Familia On 10-Day DL
The Mets have placed closer Jeurys Familia on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced on the roster by right-hander Jacob Rhame.
Familia is said to be dealing with right shoulder soreness. There’s no further information available at this time as the underlying cause of the issue or the expected duration of his time on the DL.
Thus far in 2018, Familia has put a trying 2017 campaign in the rearview mirror. He’s carrying a 2.48 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 29 innings. Though Familia isn’t generating swinging strikes at quite his peak level (12.0% thus far), he is working in range of his career average in fastball velocity (96.7 mph).
For the Mets, they’ll be losing a closer who has been one of the few consistent positives on the field. It’s not clear how they’ll fill in for him in the 9th inning. A.J. Ramos has plenty of experience in that role, but he’s also been shelved with shoulder problems. Seth Lugo has been very effective, but he has been giving multiple innings. Perhaps Robert Gsellman or the recently-activated Anthony Swarzak will be seen as candidates, or the club may utilize a committee approach.
There is at least some more promising injury news to pass along from New York. The club also announced that star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will embark upon a rehab assignment beginning today. It’s not known just how long he’ll need, but presumably he’s not too far off from returning to the majors from a hip ailment.
Athletics, Kyler Murray Agree To Terms
FRIDAY: Murray will receive $4.66MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter), which checks in just below the $4,761,500 slot value. The sides have yet to put pen to paper, Callis notes.
WEDNESDAY: The Athletics have reached a deal with No. 9 overall draft pick Kyler Murray, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The agreement will guarantee Murray close to $5MM and allow Murray to play quarterback at Oklahoma for one year, per Heyman. Murray, one of the country’s top multi-sport athletes, could step up as the Sooners’ starting quarterback in place of Baker Mayfield, who was selected with the top overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Of course, Murray is hardly a slouch when it comes to the baseball diamond. Oakland selected the center fielder ninth overall, and scouting reports on him indicate that he has plus-plus speed in addition to promising bat speed the potential for average or better power, though he’s less polished than many college bats given that he has yet to fully commit to baseball.
Heading into the draft, Fangraphs ranked Murray as the No. 20 prospect in this year’s class, while ESPN’s Keith Law tabbed him 35th, MLB.com pegged him 36th and Baseball America rated him No. 77 among available prospects. Murray, who has yet to turn 21 years of age, is coming off a season in which he hit .296/.398/.556 with 10 homers and 10 steals in 51 games. His slot comes with an assigned pick value of $4,761,500, so it seems that his agreement with the A’s will pay him at that level or perhaps a bit more.
It’s an interesting arrangement for Murray, who’ll lose NCAA eligibility in baseball but (clearly) not in football now that he’s agreed to a deal with a Major League organization. The agreement points to the likelihood that Murray’s future lies on the diamond and not on the gridiron, though it’s sure to be a complex arrangement. It’s not known at this time what sort of contingencies are in place in the event that Murray incurs a severe injury while playing football, though it seems likely that the A’s will have some form of safeguards in place, given the size of their investment in Murray and the level of risk that comes with allowing him to play NCAA football.