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Red Sox Sign Tzu-Wei Lin

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The Red Sox have signed Taiwanese shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The shortstop obtains a $2.05MM bonus, according to Badler, who calls Lin one of the top international amateurs available in advance of the July 2 signing period.

The deal, which took shape earlier in the month, is now official. Lin, a left-handed hitter, has excellent speed and could hit .300, though he doesn't offer much power. He's an average fielder with an average arm, Badler writes. Lin's bonus won't count against Boston's $2.9MM spending cap for 2012-13 because the sides completed the deal before July 2. Lin's bonus establishes a new record for Taiwanese position players, Badler writes.

Service Time Updates: Rizzo, Bauer

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This week features the 2012 debuts of two of baseball’s top young players: Anthony Rizzo and Trevor Bauer. Much anticipation has preceded the debuts of Rizzo and Bauer, who both entered the season among the top 50 prospects in the game, according to Baseball America. However, service time considerations vary from player to player, and Rizzo's case is completely different from Bauer's. Here’s a detailed look at both situations:

  • Anthony Rizzo – The first baseman debuted Tuesday, so he’ll accrue 100 days of service time assuming he stays in the Major Leagues for the remainder of the season. He picked up 68 days of service time under Cubs GM Jed Hoyer on last year’s Padres team, so he’s on track to have 168 days of service following the 2012 season. Players need 172 days of service time for a full year, so Rizzo’s expected to fall just short. This means he’ll be under Cubs control through 2018 as opposed to 2017 and justifies the timing of the promotion. Rizzo’s on track for super two status following the 2014 season, meaning he'll likely go to arbitration four times.
  • Trevor Bauer – Bauer will debut tonight, which means he’ll accrue 98 days of MLB service assuming the Diamondbacks don’t demote him between now and the end of the season. Bauer, a 2011 draft pick, doesn’t have any MLB service time yet, so he’s on track to finish the season with 98 days of service. Presumably this won’t be enough for him to qualify for super two status following the 2014 season. Like Rizzo, Bauer will remain under team control through 2018.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Travis Buck

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We'll track the latest outright assignments right here…

White Sox Release Kosuke Fukudome

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June 27: The White Sox officially released Fukudome on Tuesday, according to Aaron Gleeman of NBCSports.com.

June 22: The White Sox announced that they reinstated Kosuke Fukudome from the 15-day disabled list and designated the outfielder for assignment. They placed right-hander Philip Humber on the disabled list and purchased the contract of right-hander Brian Bruney in related moves.

The White Sox signed Fukudome to a one-year, $1MM contract with a club option for 2013 back in February. The 35-year-old appeared in 24 games for the White Sox and posted a .171/.294/.195 batting line in 51 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions. The White Sox placed him on the 15-day disabled list with back spasms earlier this month.

Red Sox Sign Brian Johnson

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June 26: The Red Sox have signed Johnson for a straight slot $1.575MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.

June 21: The Red Sox are expected to sign first rounder Brian Johnson by the weekend, Evan Drellich and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com report. The University of Florida left-hander is expected to obtain a bonus of $1.575MM, which is precisely what MLB recommends for the 31st overall selection.

Johnson's college team has been knocked out of the College World Series, so he should be coming to Boston for a physical soon. The Red Sox obtained the 31st overall selection from the Phillies as compensation for losing closer Jonathan Papelbon via free agency. They obtained a second selection for losing Papelbon — the 37th overall pick — and used it to sign right-hander Pat Light.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Yasiel Puig Targeting Free Agency

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9:55pm: Sanchez provides another pair of updates (via Twitter), reporting that Puig has established residency in Mexico and MLB's investigation of the papers is believed to be complete. An issue with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is keeping Puig from free agency. It is expected to be resolved by July 2, and possibly even as soon as tomorrow.

June 25, 6:40pm: Sanchez tweets that Puig has not yet filed his Mexican residency papers to Major League Baseball. Those papers will need to be authenticated before Puig can be granted free agency, and the authentication process can take a week or longer according to Sanchez.

June 19: Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig aims to become a free agent soon so that he can sign with an MLB team by July 2, when the spending restrictions in baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement take effect, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports. Puig has defected from Cuba and is in the process of establishing permanent residency in Mexico. Agent Jaime Torres says he hopes MLB will declare the 21-year-old a free agent once his residency has been established. 

"We should all be on the same page by July 2nd in order to have the clubs evaluate him and sign a contract before the new rule kicks in," Torres told Sanchez. 

Torres has tentatively scheduled a showcase for scouts in Mexico City later this week. Puig, a 6'3" 210 pound outfielder, has two seasons of experience in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. He’s more polished than Jorge Soler but less seasoned than Yoenis Cespedes, according to Sanchez. If MLB declares Puig a free agent in the coming days, he’ll be able to sign before July 2 and maximize his earnings.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Draft Signings: Flexen, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Nats

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The deadline for signing draft picks is just three weeks away, now that it’s been moved up under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here are the latest noteworthy signings from the second round of the draft and on…

  • The Mets gave 14th round pick Chris Flexen an above slot $374,400 bonus, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). The high school right-hander is represented by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
  • The Dodgers signed third rounder Onelki Garcia for an under-slot $382K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Cuban southpaw owns a 90-93 mph fastball and a good curveball according to Callis.
  • The Dodgers also signed eighth rounder Scott Griggs for $135K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The UCLA right-hander received the full slot value.
  • The Yankees signed third round selection Nathan Mikolas for $400K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school first baseman has a very good bat and some power potential, according to Callis.
  • The Rays signed third round selection Andrew Toles for $397K, Callis tweets. The speedy outfielder is a strong defender in center field, Callis writes.
  • The Nationals announced that they signed third rounder Brett Mooneyham, a left-hander out of Stanford University. Amanda Comak of The Washington Times says (on Twitter) that he received $429K.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Paulino, Blue Jays, Giants

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Links from around MLB before the season’s final weekend of interleague play begins…

  • The Royals announced that right-hander Felipe Paulino has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 28-year-old will seek a second opinion on his elbow, and could choose to undergo Tommy John surgery. Paulino has a 1.67 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings this year.
  • Executives from other teams and a few MLB owners are paying attention to the Blue Jays' 2010 draft class, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. The Blue Jays chose upside over certainty under then-scouting director Andrew Tinnish and the results are promising so far.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean said he doesn’t expect to trade for starting pitching help, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes (Twitter links).
  • The Giants haven’t started extension talks with Melky Cabrera and the team doesn’t consider Andre Ethier’s five-year, $85MM deal a comparable contract, Sabean said.

Rangers Designate Mark Hamburger For Assignment

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The Rangers designated Mark Hamburger for assignment, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter). The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Roy Oswalt, who joins the team tonight.

The Rangers acquired Hamburger from the Twins for Eddie Guardado in 2008. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in five games for the Rangers last year and has spent this season at Triple-A, where he has a 6.55 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings.

Rays Designate Drew Sutton For Assignment

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The Rays designated infielder Drew Sutton for assignment, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets. The Rays claimed Brooks Conrad off of waivers, reinstated Jeff Keppinger from the disabled list, recalled Brandon Gomes, placed Matt Joyce on the disabled list and optioned Rich Thompson to Triple-A in related moves.

The Rays acquired Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named about a month ago, shortly after the Pirates acquired him from the Braves. Sutton, 28, posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for the Rays this year. The four-year MLB veteran played first, second and third base.

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