Pirates Acquire Hacker For Sanchez
2:21pm: According to MLB.com's Noah Coslov, the Yankees will receive right-handed reliever Romulo Sanchez. The 25-year-old was one of the Pirates' first cuts this spring. As of Friday, he had a 4.38 ERA and 15/5 K/BB ratio in 12 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis.
1:17pm: According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic, the Pirates have acquired minor league right-hander Eric Hacker from the Yankees. It's not yet clear who, or what, the Yanks were given in return.
Hacker, 26, was designated for assignment by the Yankees last Saturday. He posted a 2.43 ERA and a 115/37 K/BB ratio in 144 1/3 innings last season between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. He was tried at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season and had a disappointing 7.88 ERA in three starts, prompting his departure.
Possibilities For Pirates At No. 4
The Pirates have the fourth pick in the June draft. Who are they considering?
According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, GM Neal Huntington scouted pitcher Alex White, first baseman/outfielder Dustin Ackley, and catcher Tony Sanchez yesterday. White and Ackley are considerations for the Bucs at #4, though Ackley has a good chance of being picked by the Mariners at #2. Scott Boras will be advising Ackley and White.
In yesterday's mock draft, Baseball America projected righty Kyle Gibson as Pittsburgh's pick. ESPN's Jason Churchill linked the Pirates to Ackley as well as pitchers Shelby Miller, Jacob Turner, Aaron Crow, and Tanner Scheppers.
Pirates Have Inside Track On Miguel Angel Sano
We wrote about 16 year-old Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano earlier this month. He's in line for a huge bonus when the international signing period begins July 2nd.
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates "have an inside track" on signing Sano. Kovacevic believes Sano could challenge Michael Ynoa's record bonus of $4.25MM. Before they commit, though, the Pirates are conducting a rigorous investigation as to whether Sano is really 16. Sano's agent Rob Plummer on the Pirates' chances:
"The Pirates are one of many teams interested, and they've got as good a shot as any team as long as the money is there. There's no question they're interested, just as there's no question this is a special talent."
So as long as the Pirates pay the most they've got a chance. Got it.
Odds & Ends: Oliver, Amaro, Scheppers
Links for Thursday…
- ESPN's Keith Law has the latest on the battle between Andy Oliver and the NCAA over whether players can have agents and still be eligible for the draft.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes writes about the ascension of Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. Edes notes that the Phils still do not have a full-time statistical analyst.
- Former D'Backs pitching coach Bryan Price landed a minor league consulting gig with the Phillies, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says it's "believed though not confirmed" that Tanner Scheppers has granted the Pirates permission to draft him again if they choose. The Pirates did not sign him last year due to health concerns, but now he's looking like a top-ten pick.
- A couple of powerful prospects got the call: Nolan Reimold with the Orioles and Mat Gamel with the Brewers. For the Brewers, Brad Nelson now has to decide whether to accept a Triple A assignment. The Orioles and Brewers are risking Super Two status with these call-ups, but only if the players are not sent back down.
Pirates Not Influenced By Sanchez Vesting Option
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked Pirates president Frank Coonelly whether recent days off for second baseman Freddy Sanchez were related to the player's 2010 vesting option, which is based on plate appearances. Coonelly was offended by the suggestion, saying contractual clauses do not have a bearing on the manager's lineup decisions. Kovacevic explains Sanchez's option:
If he makes 635 or more plate appearances this season, or if he makes 600 plate appearances and is chosen for the All-Star Game, his $8.5 million option is automatic. If he does not break those thresholds, the Pirates still can pick up the option if they choose.
Despite Coonelly's annoyance, it's not out of line to wonder if a last place, cost-conscious team would have an eye on an $8.5MM vesting option. Sanchez is off to a fine .317/.361/.528 start in 133 plate appearances. Assuming he doesn't make the All-Star team, he needs 502 more PAs in the team's 130 remaining games. Since Sanchez is averaging more than 4.15 per game as the team's #2 hitter, he's on track to trigger the option.
Pirates Sign Adam Melhuse
According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pirates signed catcher Adam Melhuse and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. Melhuse is a 37-year-old switch hitter who caught part-time for eight seasons, most recently with the Rangers and Rockies last year. The move gives the Pirates depth behind Jason Jaramillo, who has surprised with an .847 OPS since starting for the injured Ryan Doumit.
Rosenthal On Royals, Atkins, Baez, Huff
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has trade speculation in the sidebar of his latest column.
- Rosenthal sees shortstop Mike Aviles as the Royals' weakest link, given his .523 OPS in 97 plate appearances. Most projection systems had Aviles in the .720-.750 range. Rosenthal runs through potential trade targets such as Orlando Cabrera, Jack Wilson, Miguel Tejada, and Marco Scutaro. The first three have their flaws, and Scutaro doesn't figure to be available.
- Rosenthal suggests the Rockies could accomplish their goal of more playing time for Ian Stewart by trading Garrett Atkins. However, Atkins is fairly pricey and is off to a .224/.287/.367 start through 108 plate appearances.
- Orioles reliever Danys Baez is generating trade buzz with his 2.30 ERA through 15.6 innings. Baez is still owed $4.55MM of his $5.5MM '09 salary, and he also gets a $500K bonus if traded. So just moving the contract might be a feat for Andy MacPhail, in my opinion.
- Aubrey Huff, with $6.62MM left on his contract, could eventually draw interest from teams like the Royals and Mariners, in Rosenthal's opinion. Huff seems back to his pre-2008 level; he's hitting .270/.331/.423 in 124 plate appearances.
Frank Coonelly MLB.com Chat
Once again Pirates president Frank Coonelly chatted with fans on MLB.com. His team owns a 12-14 record, fifth in the NL Central. A few highlights from the chat:
- Coonelly asked how close the Pirates were to signing Adam Dunn. Coonelly replied, "we never got close to what he was seeking." The implication is that the Pirates at least inquired, which is news to me.
- Coonelly named the bullpen as an area that could warrant future moves.
- The Pirates spent about $9.8MM on the draft last year, and they've got the fourth overall pick in 2009. According to Coonelly, the Pirates will be "equally aggressive in the draft this year." The Royals and Red Sox also spent around $10MM last year.
Miguel Angel Sano Drawing Attention
Miguel Angel Sano, a 15 year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, is coveted by all 30 teams according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He'll turn 16 in May. The signing period for international free agents begins July 2nd. Kovacevic says Sano could command a bonus of $3MM.
Kovacevic says the Pirates are one of the favorites for Sano. GlobalPost has an informative video about the kid. In the clip, Sano wears apparel representing the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Cardinals at various times, for what it's worth. He was wearing an A's jersey when ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. and Luke Cyphers saw him. Sano is not worried about proving he's 15 years old, saying in the video, "Let them investigate me." To read a bit about his personality, check out this blog post.
Odds & Ends: Perez, D’Backs, Baez
Links for Monday…
- RotoAuthority looks more closely at the Pirates' MLB-best rotation.
- Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the Marlins won't be pursuing Luis Vizcaino.
- On Saturday, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wrote that the Rangers don't expect to be in on Pedro Martinez, but could have interest in Vizcaino for a Triple A job.
- Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts has a quick American League Elias rankings preview.
- Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post thinks Oliver Perez may be headed to the bullpen or even Triple A if he'll consent. Perez has pitched poorly in three of his four starts. He's had streaks like this before, though.
- With Brandon Webb out for at least six weeks, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic wonders if the Diamondbacks will be sellers this summer.
- Could Danys Baez have midseason trade value? Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun thinks it's possible, despite the pitcher's $5.5MM salary.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks back at last summer's Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal with the Pirates.
- Murray Chass thinks Ned Colletti deserves a contract extension. Do you agree?
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. wonders who will be the first American-born player to exploit a draft loophole by dropping out of high school and living in another country for a year to become a free agent.