Rays To Sign Nick Ciuffo
The Rays will announce the signing of first-round pick Nick Ciuffo on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Ciuffo, a high school catcher from South Carolina, was the No. 21 overall pick in the draft. Ciuffo is advised by Frontline.
Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets that Ciuffo's deal will be for slot value, which would be $1.97MM for the No. 21 pick. ESPN's Keith Law ranked Ciuffo the No. 18 prospect in the draft, while Baseball America had him at No. 22 and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo ranked him No. 23. Mayo noted Ciuffo's potential to hit for power and average, and suggested he also had the defensive tools to remain behind the dish. Law, meanwhile, praised Ciuffo's receiving and notes that Ciuffo's power potential should at least make him a backup, though his upside is much higher than that.
Trade Candidate: Jesse Crain
The White Sox have fallen 9.5 games back in the AL Central after losing their last four games, and unless they can pull off the unlikely feat of battling their way into the playoff picture in the next few weeks, their veterans will likely be part of trade rumors as late July approaches. 
Jeff Todd recently discussed the possible fate of one of those veterans, Alex Rios. Another is righty reliever Jesse Crain, who the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo discussed in his latest rumor roundup. "As bullpens become depleted teams are looking for solid, dependable guys who can be used from the seventh inning on. [Crain] is becoming a top name on wish lists around baseball," Cafardo says.
Crain has never been a closer, and thus doesn't have the "proven closer" label that occasionally causes teams to overpay for relievers at the trade deadline. The White Sox's closer, Addison Reed, has also pitched well this year, though he's unlikely to be traded due to his youth and the fact that he isn't even arbitration-eligible yet.
But Crain, 31, should be a valuable piece nonetheless. His strikeout rate has improved in every season since 2005, and this year he's taken a step forward with his control as well. He's posted an 0.60 ERA this season, with 11.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9, and he hasn't allowed a run in 26 straight appearances. The 0.60 ERA isn't sustainable, clearly, but Crain's strikeout rate and walk rate are both very strong. He's capable of getting outs with either his mid-90s fastball or his plus slider. He's also effective against both righties and lefties, which makes him an excellent fit in his current role as a setup man. A creative team in need of a closer could also do worse than to trade for Crain and use him in that position.
Assuming they can't fight their way back into the playoff race, the White Sox would be well-served to deal Crain. He'll be a free agent after the season, and the White Sox's farm system is poor — before the season, Keith Law and John Sickels both ranked it the third-worst farm system in baseball. Trading a non-closing reliever in his 30s, even an excellent one with a cheap $4.5MM salary, isn't the easiest way to build a farm system. But given their place in the standings and Crain's impending free agency, the White Sox have little to lose, and there are occasional trades where a contender will pay premium prices for a very good setup man. (The Padres' 2011 trade of Mike Adams to the Rangers for Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland comes to mind, although, unlike Crain, Adams had a year and a half left before he was eligible for free agency.)
There are few contenders that couldn't use Crain, although a team with question marks at the back of its bullpen would be an ideal fit. The Reds and Red Sox could well be on the hunt for bullpen help at the trade deadline. The Tigers would also make sense if Detroit and Chicago are willing to make a trade within the AL Central.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Quick Hits: Cubs, Zambrano, Amaro, McDonald
Cubs manager Dale Sveum says his team has no intention of releasing struggling reliever Carlos Marmol and eating the rest of his $9.8MM salary, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. "We've come to find out that he has trouble with the last three outs," says Sveum. "But somebody has to pitch the other innings, and he's done a pretty good job in that role." Marmol allowed four runs in the ninth as the Cubs lost to the Mets 4-3 on Sunday. Here are more notes from around the National League.
- The Cubs' bullpen has struggled this season, but in the aftermath of this summer's trading season, the team's rotation could end up being just as weak, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Last season, the Cubs performed poorly down the stretch after the departures of two productive starters in Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm. This year, Wittenmyer says, Matt Garza and Scott Feldman could be those pitchers' 2013 equivalents.
- Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone struggled Saturday, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that Carlos Zambrano won't be replacing Pettibone right away, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. "Not based on what I saw his last outing, not in my mind," says Amaro. "I’d like to see him pitch again [in the minors]. We’ll keep a close eye on his starts and how effective he is. But he’s not ready yet in my mind." Zambrano has an out clause July 1. He allowed two runs in five innings in his first outing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, striking out five and walking four. His fastball did not exceed 88 MPH.
- Speaking of Amaro, Bob Brookover of the Inquirer argues that "the bad has outweighed the good" in Amaro's stint as GM, and that it's unclear whether Amaro is the right person for the job. Amaro's signing of Joe Blanton and trade for Hunter Pence rank among his worst moves, Brookover says.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington says James McDonald's future with the team could be in jeopardy, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Karen Price writes in a pair of tweets. "As the clock ticks we’ll have to make a determination as to where James best fits in this group, on this club, or does he fit," says Huntington. "That’s a question to be answered ultimately by James McDonald." McDonald, once viewed as a potential franchise building block after promising seasons in 2010 and 2011 and a great first half in 2012, has fallen out of favor after collapsing down the stretch last year and posting a 5.76 ERA with 20 walks in six 2013 starts. He has also struggled in his rehab starts since landing on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort.
- If the Blue Jays had already acquired Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio from the Marlins, they wouldn't have signed Maicer Izturis, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star argues. Izturis signed a three-year, $10MM deal in November, and the Jays acquired Reyes and Bonifacio days later. Izturis has hit .222/.258/.308 this season.
Cubs Sign Fourth-Rounder Tyler Skulina
The Cubs have signed fourth-round draft pick Tyler Skulina for $800K, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The draft pool value of Skulina's pick, No. 108 overall, is $477K, so Skulina's bonus is significantly over slot. Baseball America ranked Skulina the No. 73 prospect in the draft.
Callis writes that Skulina, a junior righty from Kent State, has "frontline stuff," with a 91-96 MPH fastball and an 81-84 MPH slider, although his command needs work. MLB.com notes that Skulina uses his height (he's 6'5" and 235 pounds) to throw with a downhill plane that complements his fastball and breaking ball, but says he will have to work on his changeup.
Week In Review: 6/9/13 – 6/15/13
Here's a look back at the week that was at MLBTR:
- The Astros agreed to terms with first overall pick Mark Appel. See below for more draft pick signings from the first three rounds.
- The Rays will promote outfielder Wil Myers.
- The Mariners promoted catcher Mike Zunino.
- The Dodgers discussed an extension with pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
- Catcher Miguel Olivo sought his release from the Marlins.
- The Cubs acquired pitcher Henry Rodriguez from the Nationals for fellow pitcher Ian Dickson.
- The Indians acquired shortstop John McDonald from the Pirates for cash or a player to be named.
- The Mariners signed veteran catcher Henry Blanco and designated Kelly Shoppach for assignment. The Blue Jays released Blanco earlier in the week.
- The Dodgers claimed catcher John Baker off waivers from the Padres and designated Ramon Hernandez for assignment.
- The Diamondbacks claimed pitcher Nathan Adcock off waivers from the Royals.
- The Padres acquired utilityman Pedro Ciriaco from the Red Sox for a player to be named and designated third baseman James Darnell for assignment.
- The Mets designated pitcher Collin McHugh for assignment.
- The Pirates designated reliever Mike Zagurski for assignment.
- The Giants designated reliever Ramon Ramirez for assignment.
- The Rockies designated outfielder Eric Young Jr. for assignment.
- The Yankees outrighted pitcher Cesar Cabral.
- The Cubs outrighted pitcher Eduardo Sanchez.
- The Blue Jays outrighted infielder Andy LaRoche and pitcher Evan Crawford.
- The Mariners outrighted catcher Brandon Bantz.
- The Angels outrighted infielder Chris Nelson.
- The White Sox outrighted pitcher Leyson Septimo.
- The Twins released pitcher Anthony Slama.
- The Pirates released reliever Jose Contreras.
- The Rockies released pitcher Jon Garland.
- Rick Ankiel elected free agency from the Mets.
- The Rockies signed third overall draft pick Jonathan Gray, second-round pick Ryan McMahon and competitive-balance pick Alex Balog.
- The Indians signed fifth overall pick Clint Frazier.
- The Royals signed first-round pick Hunter Dozier and second-round pick Cody Reed.
- The Mariners signed first-round pick D.J. Peterson and third-round pick Tyler O'Neill.
- The Tigers signed first-round pick Jonathon Crawford.
- The Cardinals signed first-round picks Marco Gonzales and Rob Kaminsky, as well as second-round pick Oscar Mercado and third-round pick Mike Mayers.
- The Rangers signed first-round picks Alex Gonzalez and Travis Demeritte, second-round pick Akeem Bostick and third-rounder David Ledbetter.
- The Athletics signed first-round pick Billy McKinney, as well as competitive-balance pick Chad Pinder and supplemental third-round pick Chris Kohler.
- The White Sox signed first-round pick Tim Anderson and second-round pick Tyler Danish.
- The Dodgers signed first-round pick Chris Anderson and third-round pick Brandon Dixon.
- The Reds signed first-round pick Phillip Ervin.
- The Yankees signed first-round pick Eric Jagielo and third-round pick Michael O'Neill.
- The Braves signed second-round pick Victor Caratini and third-round pick Carlos Salazar.
- The Brewers signed second-round pick Devin Williams and competitive-balance pick Tucker Neuhaus.
- The Padres signed second-round pick Dustin Peterson and third-round pick Bryan Verbitsky.
- The Rays signed second-round pick Riley Unroe.
- The Giants signed second-round pick Ryder Jones.
- The Pirates signed second-round pick Blake Taylor.
- The Phillies signed second-round pick Andrew Knapp.
- The Orioles agreed to terms with second-round pick Chance Sisco and third-round pick Stephen Tarpley.
- The Astros agreed to terms with second-round pick Andrew Thurman.
- The Red Sox agreed to terms with second-round pick Teddy Stankiewicz and third-round pick Jonathan Denney.
- The Marlins signed competitive-balance pick Colby Suggs.
- The Nationals signed third-round pick Drew Ward.
- The Angels signed third-round pick Keynan Middleton.
- The Mets signed third-round picks Ivan Wilson and Casey Meisner.
- The Twins signed third-round pick Stuart Turner.
- The Blue Jays signed third-round pick Patrick Murphy.
- The Diamondbacks signed third-round pick Daniel Palka.
- First baseman Travis Ishikawa of the Orioles exercised his opt-out clause.
- The White Sox acquired outfielder Carl Thomore from the Rockies for cash.
- The Reds signed pitcher Zach Duke to a minor-league deal after the Nationals released him.
- The Nationals signed pitcher Mark Lowe to a minor-league deal.
- The Indians signed pitcher Clay Rapada to a minor-league deal.
- The Angels signed pitchers Mike Ekstrom and Dustin Richardson to minor-league deals.
- The Twins signed pitcher Cody Eppley to a minor-league deal.
- The Diamondbacks signed pitcher David Pauley to a minor-league deal.
- The Royals released minor-league pitcher Matt Ridings.
- The Brewers released minor-league pitcher Clay Hensley.
- The Diamondbacks released minor-league pitcher Warner Madrigal.
- First baseman Kila Ka'aihue signed with Hiroshima in Japan.
Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Nolasco, Davis, Martin, Astros
Tonight's Brewers vs. Marlins matchup surely was of interest to teams that might pursue starting pitching in the trade market, Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweeted at the beginning of the game. Yovani Gallardo started for the Brewers and pitched eight shutout innings, striking out four and walking one. The Marlins' Ricky Nolasco, another trade candidate, didn't fare so well, allowing four runs while striking out five and walking two over 5 1/3 innings. Here are more notes from around the league.
- Last November, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks expressed interest in Alex Rodriguez, Ken Belson and David Waldstein of the New York Times report. The Yankees never discussed the matter with the Japanese team, because they knew Rodriguez required hip surgery that would limit him in 2013, and because they knew Rodriguez would not consent to playing overseas.
- Ike Davis' poor performance (and subsequent demotion) may make him a non-tender candidate in the coming offseason, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York argues. Davis will make $3.125MM this season, and will be eliglble for arbitration next season. He hit .161/.242/.258 in 207 plate appearances this year before the Mets shipped him to Triple-A Las Vegas. Last month, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes discussed many potential non-tender candidates, including Davis, Clayton Richard, and Chris Perez.
- The Pirates have had a number of surprisingly good pitching performances this year, and what connects them is catcher Russell Martin, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Martin's pitch-framing is highly-regarded, and he also wins praise for his game-calling. His impact on the Pirates' pitching staff makes the two-year, $17MM contract to which the Bucs signed him this offseason look like a very good one, Sawchik argues.
- The Astros are rebuilding the right way, says ESPN's Jim Bowden in a new video. Bowden argues that GM Jeff Luhnow, manager Bo Porter and new president Reid Ryan are the right leaders for the Astros. Bowden also says the Astros' top draft picks help set them up to the future. The Astros selected Carlos Correa first overall in 2012, then grabbed Mark Appel with this year's top pick. They'll also have a very high pick next year. Not trying to spend their way out of last place is the right strategy for the Astros, Bowden says, because of the top picks they get as a result.
- The Orioles are not interested in Jon Garland, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko tweets. The Rockies released Garland this afternoon after he posted a 5.82 ERA with 4.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 for them.
Draft Notes: Williams, Cordell, Reinheimer
This weekend's draft meant the start of a path to the big leagues for top picks like Mark Appel, Kris Bryant and Jonathan Gray, but also lots of unknowns selected on the Day Three. Former big-league outfielder Gabe Kapler reflects on his status as a late-round nobody in an essay for WEEI.com. While we're busy fussing over the signings of first-round picks, Kapler writes, "the next Kevin Youkilis will be covertly advancing through the minor league system on his way to winning a World Series championship with a bunch of other idiots." Here's more on the draft.
- The Rangers have signed 11th-round pick Ryan Cordell, a junior outfielder from Liberty, for $100K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (via Twitter). Signings of $100K or less after Round 10 do not count against teams' bonus pools. Baseball America ranked Cordell the No. 196 prospect in the draft.
- There hasn't been any specific announcement of a signing, but MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports (via Twitter) that the Brewers' top pick, Missouri high school pitcher Devin Williams, is taking a team physical. Williams was a second-round pick; the Brewers lost their first-rounder when they signed Kyle Lohse.
- Mariners fifth-round pick Jack Reinheimer will finalize his deal with his new team tomorrow, Nathan Summers of Reflector.com reports (via Twitter). Reinheimer, a junior shortstop from East Carolina, was the No. 147 pick in the draft.
- ESPN's Keith Law's AL draft recap (Insider-only) features praise for the Athletics (who gambled on high-upside picks like Bobby Wahl, Kyle Finnegan and Dustin Driver in the middle rounds) and Yankees (who nabbed Eric Jagielo, Aaron Judge and Ian Clarkin with their three late-first-round picks).
Minor Moves: Evan Crawford
We'll track today's minor moves here:
- Lefty Evan Crawford has cleared waivers, and the Blue Jays have outrighted him to Double-A New Hampshire, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. Crawford, 26, has appeared in 14 games at New Hampshire this year, posting a 6.10 ERA with 6.97 K/9 and 3.92 BB/9.
Cafardo On Lowe, Blue Jays, Ross, Pirates, Norris
A few notes from Nick Cafardo's latest column in the Boston Globe:
- Free agent Derek Lowe seems to have retired, telling Cafardo that he asked agent Scott Boras not to look for opportunties for him. Lowe pitched in nine games for the Rangers this year before being released in late May.
- The Blue Jays' situation is "a nightmare," Cafardo says, noting that some in the organization don't know whether GM Alex Anthopoulos will stick with the team he has. Toronto is 27-35 after bringing in R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and others last offseason.
- Catcher David Ross says the Rays, Yankees and Rangers pursued him, and the Pirates would have been interested in him if they hadn't signed Russell Martin instead. Ross signed a two-year, $6.2MM contract with the Red Sox in the offseason.
- The Pirates, whose rotation depth has been damaged by injuries to Wandy Rodriguez, Jeanmar Gomez, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, Kyle McPherson and Phil Irwin, "would now have to be interested in" Astros pitcher Bud Norris, Cafardo says. Cafardo also notes that talent evaluators wonder how Norris, a competitive player currently pitching for a last-place team, will do if placed on a competitive team.
- It's unclear what the Tigers would do if they lost Jhonny Peralta to a suspension. Peralta has been connected to the Biogenesis scandal, and his production at shortstop would be tough to replace internally or in the trade market, Cafardo notes.
- The Dodgers have already received calls about Andre Ethier's trade availability, Cafardo says.
Quick Hits: Adams, Cole, Twins, Rangers
The 2013-2014 class of free agent pitching is "grim," says Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan. Hiroki Kuroda figures to be the best starting pitcher on the market, Passan says, but Kuroda is 38. A.J. Burnett is also pitching very well in his walk year, but he's 36 and has said he plans on staying with the Pirates or retiring. The likely recipient of the biggest free-agent contract for a pitcher next offseason is Matt Garza, who is 29. Garza ranks sixth, behind five hitters, in Tim Dierkes' recent 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings. Kuroda ranks seventh, and Burnett eighth. Here are more notes from around the league.
- The Cardinals aren't interested in trading Matt Adams, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. Adams, 24, is hitting .313/.352/.552 as a bench player this season, and he's blocked by Allen Craig, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday.
- Pirates coaches have more to learn about top prospect Gerrit Cole, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Cole is set to make his big-league debut on Tuesday. "I'll talk to [Indianapolis pitching coach Tom Filer] and ask if (Cole) is a guy you can converse with during the middle innings of a game, during the down time, or if he's a guy you have to stay away from and let him be in his own little world," says Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage. Pirates GM Neal Huntington, meanwhile, says that the Pirates would have preferred to let Cole stay at Indianapolis for awhile, but injuries to Wandy Rodriguez, Jeanmar Gomez and others forced their hand. It's unclear whether Cole will stay in the Bucs' rotation after his start on Tuesday.
- The Twins' selection of Kohl Stewart with the fourth overall pick in this weekend's draft marked the first time since 1992 that the Twins have taken a high-school pitcher with their first first-round pick, writes Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN. That 1992 pick was Dan Serafini, who struggled as a Twin and ended up a journeyman, with brief stints pitching for the Cubs, Padres, Pirates, Reds and Rockies, and also in Mexico and Japan. The Twins haven't had much more luck with other high-school pitchers taken in the early rounds, Mackey says, although it should help that Stewart was the fourth overall pick. "The odds are good that he's going to surface at the major leagues,"says Twins GM Terry Ryan. "Most of the first rounders surface at the major league level. Now, whether or not they become All-Stars or the types of guys that have the careers of a (Joe) Mauer, that is few and far between. But picking up at the 4-hole, certainly the odds are better than if you're picking at the 24-hole."
- The Rangers have signed 12 draft picks, including their fourth- through ninth-round picks, according to a team release. One of those signed was catcher Joe Jackson of the Citadel, who is the great-great-great nephew of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.