Rangers Sign Top Picks Ragans, Speas, Enright
4:12pm: Second-rounder Alex Speas and third-rounder Kole Enright are also under contract, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Speas gets an at-slot bonus of $1,024,900, while Enright lands just over his pick’s allocation at $675K.
11:59am: The Rangers announced today that they’ve agreed to terms with first-round pick (No. 30 overall) Cole Ragans and will formally announce him at a 3pm CT press conference. The Rangers added that they will announce the signing of several other top draft picks at the presser, though they did not disclose names. Devan Fink first tweeted that Ragans signed at slot value ($2.003,400), and MLB.com’s Jim Callis hears the same (Twitter link), noting that the prep lefty out of Florida has three solid pitches in his arsenal already.
Ragans rated 49th on MLB.com’s list of Top 200 draft prospects, while ESPN’s Keith Law and Baseball America each rated him 55th overall. Callis and Jonathan Mayo note in their scouting report for MLB.com that each of Ragans’ fastball, curveball and changeup can be a tick above average and give the 6’3″, 190-pounder credit for pitchability and a projectable frame. Eric Longenhagen’s scouting report at ESPN.com notes that his changeup has become an increasingly projectable offering that many scouts believe will ultimately be his best weapon, but his curve is thrown too slow to project to more than average. BA, on the other hand, feels the curve is his best offspeed pitch and projects the changeup at average down the line.
At $5,358,500, Texas has one of the smallest bonus pools in the league, having forfeited its first-round pick to sign Ian Desmond. A comp pick of their own for the loss of Yovani Gallardo, though, gave the Rangers this No. 30 selection that was used to add Ragans. The Rangers have about $3.35MM to sign their remaining selections.
Rangers Place Yu Darvish On 15-Day DL
The Rangers have placed star righty Yu Darvish on the 15-day DL with ongoing shoulder and neck issues, per a team announcement (via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, on Twitter). Reliever Alex Claudio will take his place on the active roster.
Darvish had only just returned from a Tommy John rehab stint, providing Texas with an ace-level arm as it seeks to capture the AL West. The 29-year-old was excellent in three starts, allowing just five earned runs and a dozen hits over 15 2/3 innings, with 19 strikeouts against six walks.
The disabled list placement isn’t necessarily a grave concern in and of itself, as the team will understandably be cautious with its prized righty. But the nebulous injury concerns that have led to it could be a major problem. It’s unclear at present what the timeline and prognosis is for Darvish.
Depending upon how things play out, Darvish’s injury status could impact the trade deadline. Texas was already said to have some interest in looking at controllable starters this summer, and the impetus could grow if Darvish misses a significant amount of time.
Rangers Release Ike Davis; Deal With Yankees Close
12:54pm: The Yankees are nearing a deal with Davis, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
12:40pm: There has been contact between the Yankees and Davis’ representatives, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link).
11:12am: The Rangers have released first baseman Ike Davis from his minor league contract, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report (Twitter link). Davis joined the Rangers in February after receiving interest from multiple clubs, and he could find another taker on the open market.
Interestingly, the Yankees were among the teams that pursued Davis in the winter. Injuries have beset the Bombers at first base – where Mark Teixeira, Chris Parmelee and Dustin Ackley are all on the disabled list – so they once again look like a fit for Davis. The 29-year-old wasn’t all that effective at the Triple-A level for the Rangers, though, batting .246/.329/.406 with four home runs in 158 plate appearances.
Davis spent last season with the Athletics and hit a subpar .229/.301/.350 with three homers in 239 PAs. Those numbers are a far cry from his output during the first few years of his career. In his best three-year stretch (2010-12), Davis put up an above-average line of .252/.336/.461 and amassed 58 HRs in 1,334 trips to the plate with the Mets. In the last of those three seasons, he hit a career-high 32 balls over the fence. It’s worth noting that the lefty-swinging Davis has a significant platoon split as a major leaguer, having compiled a solid 122 wRC+ in 1,883 PAs against right-handers and a horrid 61 wRC+ in 494 PAs versus southpaws.
Quick Hits: Lucroy, Mets, Darvish, Pads, D-backs
Given his performance and team-friendly contract, catcher Jonathan Lucroy could be the most sought-after player available at this year’s trade deadline if the Brewers shop him. The playoff-contending Mets are one of several clubs he seems like a fit for, as their catchers entered Saturday with a horrible .191/.289/.275 batting line and three home runs on the year (Lucroy is at .304/.364/.512 with nine HRs). However, there are roadblocks in the way of a potential deal, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. For one, the Mets don’t seem ready to give up on 27-year-old Travis d’Arnaud as their long-term solution behind the plate. Although d’Arnaud has an extensive history of maladies (he’s currently working his way back from a strained right rotator cuff) and got off to a poor start before suffering his latest injury in April, the former top prospect was quite valuable to the Mets over the previous two seasons. Additionally, the Mets might not have the prospects to win a Lucroy bidding war, per Davidoff, who notes that the team’s best young talent is already playing an important role in the majors. Lucroy, for what it’s worth, told Davidoff that he’s “not really a big city guy.”
Here’s more from around the majors:
- In troubling news, the Rangers have scratched ace Yu Darvish from his Monday start because of tightness in his neck and throwing shoulder, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Darvish will next head back to Dallas for an MRI, according to Grant. “I don’t want to push it and make it worse. It’s a precaution. We hope it’s nothing serious and that I can be back soon,” said Darvish (Twitter link via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). After missing all of last season on account of Tommy John surgery, the star right-hander returned May 28 and made three starts before getting hurt again. If Darvish is seriously hurt, it will be a major blow to the first-place Rangers and could lead them to aggressively pursue pitching help as the trade deadline nears.
- The rebuilding Padres plan to spend “every penny” of their $12.74MM in bonus pool money for this year’s draft, stated general manager A.J. Preller (Twitter link via MadFriars). “We view it as an opportunity,” he continued. The Padres, who selected Stanford righty Cal Quantrill with their top pick (No. 8), have the third-highest spending allotment available. In addition to Quantrill, the team used first-rounders on high school shortstop Hudson Sanchez (24th overall) and Kent State southpaw Eric Lauer (25th).
- Earlier today, the Diamondbacks placed center fielder Chris Owings on the disabled list (retroactive to June 6) with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, per Jake Ril of MLB.com. Owings previously dealt with plantar fasciitis in both feet in 2010 and played just 62 games that year, notes Ril. The 24-year-old compiled a roughly league-average batting line of .285/.340/.419 in 196 plate appearances before leaving the Diamondbacks’ June 5 game with soreness in his foot. In his absence, the D-backs will use Michael Bourn and David Peralta in center.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/11/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Dodgers have released outfielder Jose Tabata, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets. Tabata was hitting .240/.340/.333 for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Acquired last year for Michael Morse in an exchange of bad contracts, Tabata never played in the big leagues for the Dodgers. The former top Yankees and Pirates prospect is still owed the remainder of his $4.5MM 2016 salary from the long-term deal he signed with the Pirates in 2011, plus a $250K buyout on his 2017 option.
- The Rangers have acquired righty reliever Justin De Fratus from the Mariners, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets. The deal completes last month’s Patrick Kivlehan trade, tweets MLB.com’s Greg Johns. The 28-year-old De Fratus was pitching for Triple-A Tacoma, where he’d posted a 3.21 ERA, 5.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 28 innings. He has a 4.08 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in five big-league seasons, all of them spent with the Phillies.
- Veteran outfielder Will Venable is now a free agent after opting out of his minor league deal with the Phillies, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. Venable has had a disappointing season thus far for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, batting .205/.304/.307 in 149 plate appearances. He hit .244/.320/.350 with the Padres and Rangers in 2015, then was released by the Indians near the end of Spring Training before being picked up by Philadelphia.
- The Athletics have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Daniel Mengden, who will start today against the Reds. Mengden, an Astros draftee who headed to Oakland in the Scott Kazmir trade last July, had compiled a 1.19 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 68 1/3 innings this season split between Double-A and Triple-A. MLB.com rates Mengden as the Athletics’ 14th-best prospect, noting his “old-timey delivery and exaggerated windup,” which creates deception but also could ultimately result in a move to the bullpen. To clear space for Mengden on the 40-man roster, the Athletics transferred Mark Canha (hip) to the 60-day DL.
Rangers Activate Robinson Chirinos, Designate Phil Klein For Assignment
The Rangers announced today that they’ve activated catcher Robinson Chirinos from the 60-day disabled list and designated right-hander Phil Klein for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Right-hander Luke Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to clear a spot for Chirinos on the active roster.
Chirinos, 32, has missed all but five games this season to date after suffering a fractured forearm when he was hit by a pitch in early April. His injury led the Rangers to pick up Bryan Holaday and Bobby Wilson via trade, and that pairing of journeyman has somewhat incredibly provided the team with an outstanding .274/.324/.472 batting line and eight home runs. The Holaday/Wilson tandem has been so productive, in fact, that Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the Rangers are considering carrying three all three catchers (Twitter link). Chirinos and Holaday, he points out, can play other positions on a limited basis, as each is a former infielder.
While Chirinos isn’t a household name, he performed well for the Rangers while seeing quite a bit of work behind the dish last season; in 273 plate appearances, he batted .232/.325/.438. Combined with his work from the 2014 campaign and his brief time early in 2016, Chirinos has batted .236/.306/.430 with 24 home runs in exactly 162 games dating back to Opening Day 2014.
As for Klein, the 27-year-old gave Texas 19 useful innings back in 2014 but has struggled in the Majors in both 2015 and 2016, working to a combined 6.23 ERA in 26 innings. While he performed well at Round Rock last season (2.97 ERA in 63 2/3 innings), he’s struggled there as well in 2016 and will now be in limbo for up to 10 days as the Rangers have the option to trade him, release him or send him through outright waivers.
Injury Notes: Beltre, Darvish, Velasquez
A few injury situations from around the game that warrant monitoring…
- Adrian Beltre was pulled from the Rangers game tonight in the seventh inning after grabbing his left hamstring while attempting to run out a ground-ball. Per Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), the initial word is that he was lifted with tightness in his hamstring — the same hamstring that cost him 37 games of the 2015 campaign. Beltre will be evaluated tomorrow, and it’s unlikely there will be any definitive word on his status until then. If he’s required to miss a notable period of time, the Rangers have a third base option waiting in the wings at Triple-A in the form of Joey Gallo. Alternatively, Jurickson Profar could see some time at the hot corner as well.
- The news for Rangers fans doesn’t necessarily improve, as Yu Darvish also departed the game prematurely due to what was termed tightness in his right shoulder. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Darvish’s removal after just 76 pitches — he’d been a pitch limit of 95 — was a precaution, and an exam from team physician Dr. Keith Meister revealed no immediately apparent issues. There’s no word that Darvish, who only just returned from 2015 Tommy John surgery, will miss a start, but I’d imagine the Rangers will be cautious when dealing with any right arm troubles for their freshly mended ace.
- Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez, who left today’s game after throwing just two pitches (both clocked around 86-87 mph), could undergo an MRI tomorrow, manager Pete Mackanin told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Velasquez told the media that he’s “not concerned at all,” though he also conceded that he thought, “Something’s wrong,” to himself after seeing the readings from the radar gun. Velasquez’s fastball has averaged 94 mph this season, so a dip of seven to eight miles in velocity is clearly troublesome. For the time being, the Phillies are calling the injury a biceps strain, though further testing will shed light on the matter. Zolecki writes that the “smart bet” is on Velasquez missing some time, and he adds that southpaw Brett Oberholtzer and Triple-A righties Zach Eflin and David Buchanan are options to step into the rotation. Eflin would require a 40-man move, but it’s worth noting that the Phils did scratch him from his scheduled start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley tonight, as Greg Joyce of the Lehigh Valley Express-Times tweeted earlier this afternoon.
Josh Hamilton’s Knee Injury More Serious Than Initially Believed
Earlier today, Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton underwent the season-ending knee surgery that the team had previously announced, but as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes, he required not only a repair of his left meniscus (which was previously known) but a reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee as well. Per Wilson, the surgeon who performed the surgery, Dr. Walt Lowe, had cautioned the team that an ACL repair might be necessary last month. He wasn’t certain, however, until seeing the extent of the damage to the ACL first-hand during today’s operation.
Hamilton was already known to be out for the season, but Wilson speculates that the new injury could not only end Hamilton’s time with the Rangers, but could ultimately spell the end of his career. The Rangers have a number of outfield options on the books for next season — Shin-Soo Choo, Delino DeShields, Nomar Mazara and, potentially, Joey Gallo and Lewis Brinson — and the team is only on the hook for $2MM of the $30MM that Hamilton will receive in the final season of his five-year, $125MM pact. (The Angels, who initially signed Hamilton to that deal, will pay the remainder.) As such, it’s possible that the Rangers could simply elect to release Hamilton and let younger alternatives receive the bulk of the time in the outfield next year, according to Wilson. Then again, GM Jon Daniels did voice back in May that the team was committed to Hamilton for the 2017 season.
There’s a chance that Hamilton could be ready for Spring Training next season, but the 35-year-old’s ability to recover from such a massive knee operation at this stage of his career remains to be seen. If he is indeed ready for the spring, however, it’s hardly inconceivable that he could latch on with a new club on a minor league pact.
Hamilton’s best years as a Major Leaguer came with the Rangers, highlighted by his 2010 AL MVP honors, and he returned to the club after a dramatic split with the Angels. Hamilton made an immediate impact with the Rangers in returning to Globe Life Park last season, doubling in a two-hit game in his first home game with Texas and then homering twice in his second game back in Arlington. However, his ultimate contributions to the 2015 Rangers were more modest, as he batted .253/.291/.441 with eight home runs in 182 trips to the plate before hamstring and knee injuries brought his season to an early end.
The Rangers have managed to thrive in spite of the loss of Hamilton, nearly a full season-to-date without Choo and significant regression from DeShields thanks largely to the emergence of Mazara (a strong Rookie of the Year candidate) and the the brilliant play of shortstop-turned-outfielder Ian Desmond. If Choo isn’t able to return to health and/or DeShields continues to struggle, the Rangers could eventually turn to Gallo and Brinson, though the latter has struggled in Double-A in 2016. Gallo isn’t a natural outfielder, but with the Rangers having extended Adrian Beltre for another two seasons, it seems all but certain that he’ll be required to move off of his natural position, third base, if he is to factor into the Rangers’ long-term plans.
Quick Hits: Miller, Schwarber, Yankees, Giants, Daniels
Here are some items from around baseball as we head into the new week…
- The Cubs wouldn’t trade Kyle Schwarber for Andrew Miller, a source tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman pegs the Yankees and Cubs as good trade partners given Chicago’s possible weakness in the back of the bullpen and New York’s need for young position player talent. Schwarber, of course, is out of action until 2017 after undergoing season-ending surgery in early April but is still one of the game’s most highly-touted young sluggers.
- Sherman’s piece outlines several younger players from around the league who could be Yankees targets if the Bombers indeed decide to become deadline sellers. While Miller or Aroldis Chapman have been heavily cited as the most obvious trade chips, Sherman suggests New York could explore the market for a wide range of players, including Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda or even Dellin Betances.
- The Giants could trade “for a complementary player,” Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle opines (Twitter link), but he doesn’t think the club will swing a major deal at this time of the year. With Hunter Pence gone for at least two months following hamstring surgery, the Giants have already been discussing trade targets, though they have a number of outfield options already on the roster.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels talks to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News about the 2006 draft, which was Daniels’ first in charge of the Texas front office. While the Rangers found some good talent in that draft class, their first-round pick was rather a notable miss. Daniels said his team was eyeing Tim Lincecum with the 12th overall selection but the Rangers were surprised when the Giants drafted Lincecum tenth overall. Texas instead took high school lefty Kasey Kiker, who never made it higher than Double-A and has been out of pro ball since 2012.
AL Notes: ChiSox, Rays, Rangers, A’s
Having lost 19 of 29, the struggling White Sox won’t rest on their laurels after acquiring right-hander James Shields on Saturday. General manager Rick Hahn said today that the Shields trade won’t be the team’s last move, noting that the Sox have the money and prospects to make more deals (Twitter link via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score). They could seek a left-handed bat and-or a setup man, according to Levine (Twitter link).
More from around the AL:
- The last-place Rays aren’t ready to sell yet, but they could be “very active” in shopping players prior to the deadline if they don’t begin climbing up the standings, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. The Rays are deep in both pitching and outfielders, two areas that will be in demand, and infielder Steve Pearce could also draw plenty of interest. After a disappointing showing last season, Pearce has returned to his 2014 form in slashing .302/.389/.527 with eight home runs and nearly as many walks (18) as strikeouts (22) in 149 plate appearances. The 33-year-old, who’s on a palatable $4.75MM salary, is scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end.
- The Rangers are likelier to use their assets to upgrade their pitching – both the rotation and bullpen – than make a deal for Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, says Rosenthal. While no buyer has been connected to Lucroy more than the Rangers in recent months, their backstops have exceeded expectations this season and the injured Robinson Chirinos is nearing a return.
- In other Rangers news, the team will make a concerted effort to get infielder Jurickson Profar more playing time if he continues performing well, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s important he plays,” president and general manager Jon Daniels said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean every day, but we want to keep him in the flow and keep him going.” The former elite prospect has collected 12 hits, including two home runs, in his first 33 plate appearances this year. If Profar continues holding his own, Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland and Elvis Andrus will all be at risk of losing playing time.
- Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray will start for the club Sunday after he made a quick recovery from the trapezius strain that forced him to the disabled list two weeks ago (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Gray performed like an ace over his first two-plus seasons in the majors from 2013-15, but he got off to an uncharacteristically awful start this year before landing on the DL. Manager Bob Melvin attributes that, at least in part, to the injury. “A lot of the command issues stemmed from what was going on in his trap,” he said. “He wasn’t able to extend like he wanted to and had a little trouble commanding the baseball. So those issues are resolved.” Gray will now try to improve on the 6.19 ERA and 4.50 BB/9 he posted over his first nine starts (48 innings) of 2016.