Braves Could Add Bat; Won’t Mortgage Future
Braves GM Frank Wren told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he's open to adding a bat later in the month, but won't compromise the club's future to do so (check out the comments section to read O'Brien's note).
Odds And Ends: Renteria, Lugo, Phillies
It's a busy day for international signings, but lots is going on at the major league level, so let's take a look:
- The Dodgers are looking for pitching, but how about Jason Schmidt? He pitched well at Triple A for the second time yesterday, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff creates a history of recent deadline deals.
- Edgar Renteria told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he turned down two multi-year offers to sign with the Giants.
- Think it's too early to talk about Bryce Harper? Well Joe Dunand Jr., Alex Rodriguez's nephew, is just 13 years old and, as Ian Begley of the New York Daily News reports, he's already quite a slugger.
- The relative of another superstar signed with the Angels. Mike Piazza's second cousin will go pro, according to the Florida Tech Sports site.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times crunches some numbers and suggests Franklin Gutierrez could be more valuable than Adam Jones this year.
- Kevin Towers says the addition of Bob Melvin to the Padres' staff wasn't meant to threaten Bud Black, according to Nick Canepa and Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Julio Lugo admits that his deal with the Red Sox hasn't worked out, according to Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies have more minor league pitching depth than ever.
Indians Acquire Winston Abreu
The Indians acquired Winston Abreu from the Rays for minor league righty John Meloan and cash, according to an Indians press release. Abreu will be added to the Indians' major league roster.
Abreu, 32, pitched in just two games for the Rays this year, but he excelled in Triple A, striking out 49 and allowing just 24 baserunners in 32 innings for an ERA of 1.41. Meloan, who turns 25 next weekend, pitched briefly in two seasons for the Indians. His Triple A numbers are less impressive than Abreu's this year, as he's struck out 37 and allowed 69 baserunners in 44 innings for a 5.52 ERA.
Aroldis Chapman Interests Yankees
The Yankees will have interest in flame-throwing lefty Aroldis Champan once he establishes residency in another country and becomes a free agent, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown and ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr.. The 21-year-old just defected from Cuba and his agent says he could be ready for the majors by spring.
List Of International Prospects To Sign July 2nd
Lots of prospects are signing as we kick off the international signing period and we'll keep track of today's deals right here:
- In the biggest deal so far, the Cards inked Wagner Mateo for $3.1MM.
- The Mets signed Juan Urbina for a bonus worth more than $1MM.
- The Brewers signed outfielder Jose Pena to a six-figure deal, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- The Astros signed shortstop Jonathan Mejia for about $370k, according to Badler.
- As mentioned in another post, the Yankees added pitcher Chris Cabrera for $400k, shortstop Damian Arredondo for $850k and catcher Gary Sanchez for about $3MM.
- Badler reports that the A's signed Wilfredo Solano, who will probably move to third.
- MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports that the A's also signed Wilman Martinez, an infielder, and Alfred Sosa, an outfielder.
- The Pirates signed a trio of Taiwanese prospects, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ping-Hung Chi, Sheng-Cin Hong and Chih-Wei Hsu.
- Badler reports that the Blue Jays signed 16-year-old catcher Santiago Nessy.
- Kovacevic has another one: The Royals have reportedly inked Nicaraguan third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert for a bonus "in the range" of $1.5MM.
- According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, the Giants have signed Marvin Barrios, a 17-year-old from Panama, to a six-figure bonus.
- As expected, the Rangers appear to have signed Jurickson Profar, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Cubs Acquire Jeff Baker, DFA Ryan Freel
12:07pm: In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated Ryan Freel for assignment, according to a team press release. Freel, 33, put up an OPS of .369 in 14 games for the Cubs.
11:27am: ESPN.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Rockies receive right-hander Alberto Alburquerque, who was pitching in A ball for the Cubs. The 23-year-old has struck out 44 and allowed 40 baserunners in nearly 35 innings pitched this year.
8:41am: The Cubs acquired Jeff Baker from the Rockies, according to Yahoo Sports. It's unclear what the Rockies will receive in exchange for the infielder. Baker, 28, has played in just 12 games this year for Colorado, but he posted a respectable .791 OPS in over 100 games last year. He's played all four corner positions in his five-year career, but he's played mostly at second base.
Aroldis Chapman’s Value
Aroldis Chapman defected from Cuba and he's now free to sign with the highest bidder. So how much will teams offer the player many scouts consider the best left-handed pitching prospect in the world? ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. gathered some estimates and hears that the 21-year-old could sign a deal worth between $30-60MM.
Cardinals Sign Wagner Mateo
Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that the Cardinals signed 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, as expected. His bonus hasn't officially been announced, but we heard last week that it will be about $3.1MM. Along with Miguel Angel Sano, Mateo was considered one of the top prospects to become available this summer.
D’Backs Scouting Red Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe notes that the D'Backs have been scouting the Red Sox recently. This may be nothing more than a straightforward assignment, but Chad Tracy could appeal to the Red Sox. Mike Lowell should return after the All-Star break, but Tracy, who just came off the DL, could appeal to Boston if Lowell's injury is worse than anticipated.
July 2nd Update: Cubs, Nats, Giants
Some links to read as the international signing period kicks off…
- Baseball America's Ben Badler expects we'll hear of more signings when teams begin making official announcements this afternoon.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. sees a parallel between this year's international signings and last winter's free agent market: the top players are getting top dollars, with big drop-offs afterwards.
- Arangure Jr. hears that the Cubs may have signed Venezuelan catcher Wilson Contreras for $850k.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post reports that the Nats will "hardly make a peep" in this year's market. They have Stephen Strasburg to worry about, after all.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians plan on offering deals to 4-7 players.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the Giants are looking at a few international players. Don't expect them to award any big bonuses, however.