White Sox Sign Joey DeMichele
The White Sox signed third round selection Joey DeMichele, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has learned. The ASU second baseman will obtain a $400K bonus.
The White Sox selected DeMichele 108th overall, which means the White Sox obtained his rights for less than MLB's recommended bonus. The infielder is a tough out with a compact, left-handed swing, Baseball America wrote leading up to the draft. Lagardere-Unlimited advises DeMichele.
Mets To Sign Kevin Plawecki
The Mets have agreed to sign supplemental first round draft pick Kevin Plawecki, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports. He'll obtain a $1.4MM bonus.
The Mets chose the Purdue catcher with the 35th overall selection as compensation for losing Jose Reyes to free agency. MLB recommends a bonus of $1.47MM for the 35th overall selection, according to Baseball America.
Latest On Vladimir Guerrero
11:34pm: The Blue Jays have informed Guerrero that they have no spot for him in the Majors and he will not be called up, reports Enrique Rojas on ESPN Radio Dominicana (via Twitter). Vlad will be allowed out of his contract to seek employment elsewhere.
10:16am: Agent Bean Stringfellow told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Guerrero "has not [opted out]. Not yet." The opt-out date is open, Rosenthal reports. There's no talk of Guerrero retiring, though. He's running and hitting well, according to his agent.
10:14am: Guerrero has given the Blue Jays an ultimatum, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports (Spanish link). He won't return to the minor leagues, even if the team decides not to call him up. Guerrero has returned home to Anaheim, Rojas reports.
9:54am: Vladimir Guerrero appears to have decided to give up his comeback, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 the FAN reports (on Twitter). The Blue Jays signed the 37-year-old to a minor league contract worth $1.3MM in the Major Leagues last month.
Soon after joining the Blue Jays' organization, Guerrero hit four homers in four games at Class A Dunedin. He was then promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he collected four hits last night after a slow start. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has maintained that Guerrero won't necessarily make the club's active roster.
Guerrero has 2,590 hits, 449 homers and a .318/.379/.553 line in 16 big league seasons. In 590 plate appearances with the Orioles last year, the nine-time All-Star posted a .290/.317/.416 line with 13 homers. He drew interest from the Diamondbacks, Indians and Marlins earlier this year.
This post was originally published on June 12th.
NL East Notes: Nationals, Phillies, Bernazard
Some notes from the National League East before the Nationals, Marlins and Braves suit up for three of the day's four MLB games…
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo discussed baseball's new collective bargaining agreement and the relationship between scouting and player development with David Laurila of FanGraphs.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports makes the case that Nationals rookie Bryce Harper and Angels rookie Mike Trout should be All-Stars in 2012.
- The Phillies need more talent and can't afford to wait until Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay return, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Murphy also discusses Charlie Manuel's bullpen management following yesterday's loss, a game in which Jonathan Papelbon did not pitch.
- Former MLB player and Mets exec Tony Bernazard is now working in player relations for the Boras Corporation, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. The Mets let Bernazard go in 2009.
Draft Signings: Melotakis, Jones, Alford, Astros, A’s
MLBTR will track which first and supplemental first round picks have signed leading up to the July 13th signing deadline. As for players selected in round two and beyond, here are some additional draft signings…
- The Twins have signed second rounder Mason Melotakis and fourth rounder Zach Jones, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter). Both players are college pitchers; Melotakis a lefty and Jones a righty. Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter) that Jones signed for $357K, exactly slot money.
- The Brewers have signed 25th rounder Lance Roenicke according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). Lance, a college outfielder, is the son of Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.
- The Blue Jays will sign third round selection Anthony Alford, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports. Alford, a high school outfielder, might have been a first round selection, but he informed teams of his intent to play football and baseball at Southern Mississippi instead of signing out of the draft. The Blue Jays will allow Alford to play football, Callis reports. The outfielder’s bonus remains unconfirmed, but it could be close to double the recommended value of $424K.
- The Astros announced the signing of eight selections, including fifth rounder Andrew Aplin.
- The A's announced that they agreed to terms with 13 players, including their fourth round selection, high school center fielder B.J. Boyd.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Jorge Soler Rumors: Friday
The Astros, Cubs, Pirates, Indians, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Blue Jays appear to have some interest in Jorge Soler, while the Marlins and Mets are not pursuing him. The Cuban outfield prospect must sign by July 2nd if he aims to avoid spending restrictions imposed under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here’s the latest:
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto confirmed to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times that they "won't be a player" for Soler (Twitter link). "I don't know who his agent is. Tells you how involved we are," added Dipoto.
- The next round of bids for Soler are due this weekend, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). The Cubs, Yankees, Braves and Dodgers have been the most aggressive teams so far, Olney reports.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that Soler may be trying to establish his residency paperwork through Haiti, instead of the Dominican Republic, where he has been living and working out. Some agents say they would never consider trying to establish a Cuban player's residency through Haiti, which is not known for accurate record keeping.
- However, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com hears that MLB verified Soler's residency in Haiti before granting him free agency (Twitter link). It's not an issue, according to Crasnick's source.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Brewers Sign Clint Coulter
The Brewers announced that they have signed first round selection Clint Coulter. The team is holding a news conference to announce the deal for the catcher, who completed his physical in Milwaukee earlier today.
Coulter will obtain a $1.675MM bonus, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports. That's precisely the amount MLB recommends for the 27th overall selection. The Brewers also announced the signing of outfielder Victor Roache, the 28th overall selection on Monday.
Reds Sign Jesse Winker
3:16pm: Winker obtained a $1MM bonus, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter).
1:57pm: The Reds signed supplementary first round draft pick Jesse Winker, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). The Reds confirmed the deal, announcing the signings of 11th rounder Nolan Becker and 25th rounder Sean Lucas (Twitter link).
The Reds selected Winker, a high school outfielder, with the 49th overall selection as compensation for losing free agent catcher Ramon Hernandez. MLB recommends a bonus of $1.025MM for the 49th overall selection, according to Baseball America.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Allen, Satin
The latest outright assignments…
- The Rays outrighted Brandon Allen to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Roy Commings of the Tampa Tribune tweets. The Rays designated Allen for assignment earlier in the week.
- Josh Satin has cleared waivers and will return to Triple-A Buffalo, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Mets designated the 27-year-old infielder for assignment two days ago. He had posted a .274/.359/.380 line in 206 plate appearances at Buffalo before getting called up to the Major Leagues.
Minor Moves: Omir Santos, Russ Mitchell
The latest minor moves…
- The Tigers announced that they outrighted Omir Santos to Triple-A (Twitter link). However, the catcher declined the assignment and is now a free agent, according to the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). The Tigers designated the 31-year-old for assignment two days ago after he appeared in three games with the big league club. He posted a .310/.315/.417 batting line in 89 plate appearances at Triple-A before the Tigers added him to their roster.
- The Giants signed third baseman Russ Mitchell, according to the team's website. Mitchell, 27, appeared in 25 games for last year's Dodgers team, posting a .157/.259/.294 batting line in 58 plate appearances. He has a .265/.325/.444 batting line in ten minor league seasons and can play first and second base, as well as third.