Draft Notes: Astros, Gausman, Twins, Red Sox
The MLB Draft got started last night and now the first round and supplemental round are complete. Here are some reactions to the events of day one before the action resumes at 11am CDT…
- High school shortstop Tanner Rahier and high school outfielder Anthony Alford are among the top remaining players, Nathan Rode of Baseball America writes.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com likes what the Astros (Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr.) and Pirates (Mark Appel) accomplished yesterday. Law's list of best available players features nine high schoolers including third baseman Carson Kelly and right-hander Kieran Lovegrove.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com provides an overview of day one, including a preview of the interaction between the Pirates and Scott Boras, the advisor for Appel. Commissioner Bud Selig said he's "very optimistic" that the new system will work out, according to Crasnick.
- McCullers and his father, Lance McCullers Sr., were selected 41st overall 30 years apart from one another, Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle notes (on Twitter).
- Blue Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish says college right-hander Marcus Stroman is very advanced, though not necessarily MLB-ready, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Top Orioles selection Kevin Gausman said he's confident he’ll be able to reach a deal with Baltimore, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The Orioles drafted Gausman fourth overall, making him the first pitcher selected.
- Scouting director Deron Johnson said the Twins wanted Byron Buxton all along and had been targeting the high school outfielder since last summer, Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com reports.
- Arizona State coach Tom Esmay says top Red Sox pick Deven Marrero is committed to improving his game, Alex Speier of WEEI.com writes. Red Sox scouting director Amiel Sawdaye doesn’t sound concerned about the shortstop's unimpressive offensive numbers.
Pirates Notes: Jorge Soler, Stetson Allie
The Pirates own the eighth overall pick in tonight's amateur draft, the first time they've selected outside of the top five since picking Andrew McCutchen with the 11th overall pick in 2005. Here's the latest from Pittsburgh…
- The Pirates will be bidders for 20-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). They will not budge from their pre-determined value and won't offer Yoenis Cespedes money, however. Soler was declared a free agent by MLB over the weekend.
- The Bucs are converting pitching prospect Stetson Allie into a position player, reports Biertempfel and Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Allie signed for $2.2MM as the 52nd overall pick in the 2010 draft but has walked 37 batters in 26 2/3 pro innings. Baseball America ranked him as the club's ninth best prospect coming into this season.
Stark On Hamels, Ruiz, Scutaro, Willingham, Pirates
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has plenty of news in his latest edition of Rumblings & Grumblings. Let's dive in and take a look..
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says that his value assessment on Cole Hamels hasn't changed but he will have to take his other free agents into account this winter. "But the biggest thing is all the other decisions we have to make…at third base [Placido Polanco], in center field [Shane Victorino], and at right field [Hunter Pence] and catcher [Carlos Ruiz] in two years. And we haven't solved our left-field situation, either," Amaro said.
- Amaro says that he is high on Ruiz but will consider the club's payroll as a whole before considering a long-term deal. The GM also pointed out his age (33) and demanding position. The Phillies hold a $5MM club option for next year on Ruiz, which would put him on the open market on the verge of his age-35 season.
- The Phillies GM also seems confident that the club won't be in a position to cave before the deadline and become sellers. For the Phillies to pull the plug and sell, he says the club would have to "fall out of contention pretty significantly."
- The Tigers might want to consider waiting around for the Rockies' Marco Scutaro as a solution at second base. Clubs that have checked in with the Rockies say they're still at least a month from selling but Scutaro, Rafael Betancourt, and Jeremy Guthrie are all likely to be available when they do.
- There's been a surprising amount of trade talk surrounding Twins outfielder Josh Willingham but teams that have kicked the tires on him have been rebuffed.
- The Pirates are telling other teams that they're likely to approach this deadline like they did last year's, looking to add. They've indicated that they're likely to trade arms for bats, especially hitters they can control beyond this year.
- Meanwhile, potential shoppers wonder if the Pirates are willing to move enough quality to make a splash. Pittsburgh is hinting that they'll keep James McDonald, A.J. Burnett, and probably Erik Bedard if they have a shot to win. If that's the case, they'll instead be shopping the likes of Charlie Morton, Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens, and prospect Rudy Owens, which won't net them the same kind of return.
- Despite reports to the contrary, Roy Oswalt never received offers from the Phillies or Cardinals according to Amaro and a source who spoke with the Cards' brass, respectively. While there was other interest, it seems that this was a one-team negotiation with Oswalt and the Rangers.
Quick Hits: Beltran, Angels, Mercedes, Cruz
The Nationals reinstated Michael Morse from the disabled list today in a move that should help the team score a few more runs. Morse hit 31 homers and posted a .910 OPS last year, so he should help a Nationals offense that ranks 13th out of the 16 NL teams in scoring. Here are today's links…
- Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reconstructs the trade that sent Carlos Beltran to San Francisco for Zack Wheeler in a must-read piece that includes the recollections of the baseball people who helped shape the deal.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests the Giants are more likely to add bullpen or bench help than make a blockbuster move this summer (via Sulia).
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto reflected on the season's first two months with Barry Bloom of MLB.com.
- Edgar Mercedes was arrested in the Dominican Republic on charges of smuggling Cuban players into the D.R., Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. However, a Dominican judge released Mercedes from jail without charges, Listin Diario reports (via Badler). Mercedes is a prominent trainer who represented players such as Yoenis Cespedes.
- The Pirates announced that they've activated Juan Cruz from the restricted list. They placed the right-hander on the restricted list earlier in the week.
Nate McLouth On Release Waivers
The Pirates have placed outfielder Nate McLouth on release waivers, Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (on Twitter). If McLouth clears waivers he'll be granted his unconditional release and hit free agency.
The Pirates designated McLouth for assignment six days ago following a disappointing encore in Pittsburgh. McLouth signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with the Pirates this past offseason after spending two and a half years in Atlanta. The 30-year-old posted a .385 OPS in 62 plate appearances back in Pittsburgh.
Draft Notes: Cubs, Garcia, Pirates, Twins
MLB's first year player draft takes place one week from today. The notes below should provide some hints as to what might happen on June 4th…
- Chicago GM Jed Hoyer says "pitching is a target” for the Cubs in next week’s draft, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports (Twitter link) “As an organization, our pitching depth is one of our bigger concerns,” Hoyer said.
- In this week's edition of Ask BA Jim Callis of Baseball America explains why teams won't use top picks to draft players they don't intend to sign.
- Cuban left-hander Onelki Garcia has his eyes on a major payday with the draft looming. The 22-year-old is looking for a signing bonus of $7MM and will not sign unless he's taken in the first round, tweets ESPN.com's Keith Law.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America expects the Pirates to take a hitter with the eighth overall selection (all Twitter links). Callis keeps hearing the Pirates connected to Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero, and prep outfielder Albert Almora and University of Florida catcher Mike Zunino are also possibilities. Zunino draws comparisons to Jason Varitek, Callis notes.
- Callis expects the Twins to take the top talent available when they select second overall, but notes that they could use pitching.
Daniel Seco contributed to this post.
Pirates Place Juan Cruz On Restricted List
The Pirates announced that they placed right-hander Juan Cruz on the restricted list so he can return to the Dominican Republic and attend to some personal business. The club has selected the contract of Doug Slaten from Triple-A in a related move.
Cruz, 33, signed a one-year, $1.25MM contract in February and has a 1.45 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 18 2/3 innings so far this year. Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster. They do not accrue service time and they don't always get paid.
Rosenthal On Pirates, Astros, Rangers
The acquisition of right-handers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom has proved integral to the Orioles' early season success. The same cannot be said for Jeremy Guthrie, sent to the Rockies by Baltimore in the same trade, as the right-hander has struggled in injury-limited action for Colorado. Let's check in with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports as he catches us up on news and rumors from around the league in his latest column:
- The Pirates may be strong candidates to trade pitching for hitting the way the Mariners did when they traded Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero. While the Pirates' offense averages fewer than three runs per game their pitching staff has offered glimmers of hope. More specifically, the Pirates' bullpen leads the league in relief ERA with a plethora of quality relievers waiting for an opportunity at Triple-A Indianapolis.
- Count Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow among the believers who think that the Astros may be buyers at the trade deadline given their plus-11 run differential heading into Memorial Day. “I do think so,” Luhnow said. “I don’t necessarily know if we’ll take on a whole bunch of salary. But we’ll look at every opportunity that comes our way, evaluate it in terms of short-term impact and medium and long-term impact. Look for Houston to attempt to trade Wandy Rodriguez, Carlos Lee and Brett Myers if the team begins to mimic last year's 106-loss club.
- The inability to move right-hander Koji Uehara during the offseason and later during Spring Training has paid huge dividends for the Rangers this season. After struggling in Arlington upon being acquired from the Orioles, Uehara has rebounded nicely in 2012 by posting a 1.04 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9.
Pirates Designate Nate McLouth For Assignment
The Pirates announced that they designated outfielder Nate McLouth for assignment. The club recalled Matt Hague in a corresponding move.
McLouth signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with the Pirates this past offseason after spending two and a half years in Atlanta. Now 30, McLouth was viewed as a future star when the Pirates traded him to the Braves three years ago. But he didn't hit in Atlanta and he has just a .385 OPS in 62 plate appearances back in Pittsburgh.
Hague, who appeared in five MLB games earlier this season, has a .278/.325/.333 batting line at Triple-A this year. The right-handed hitter has considerable minor league experience at first and third.
Rays Acquire Drew Sutton
The Rays announced that they acquired Drew Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named. The infielder's stay in Pittsburgh was a short one; the Pirates acquired him from the Braves for cash considerations less than 24 hours ago. The Rays expect Sutton to join them tonight, at which point they'll make a corresponding move.
Sutton has a .258/.322/.403 batting line line in 178 MLB plate appearances with the Reds, Red Sox and Indians. The 28-year-old has MLB experience at all four infield positions and both corner outfield positions. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta this past offseason and played 38 games for Triple-A Gwinnett before yesterday's trade.
The switch-hitting Sutton will provide Rays manager Joe Maddon with infield depth while Evan Longoria and Brandon Allen recover from their respective leg injuries. Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune first tweeted the news.