Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mexican League Cancels 2020 Season

By | at

Following yesterday’s decision of Minor League Baseball to cancel the 2020 season, the affiliated Mexican League has followed suit. In an official announcement, the 16-team circuit says it will not attempt to launch play this year.

While it’s obviously disappointing to see Mexico’s top league on ice, the announcement makes clear the decision was made for good reason. Health and safety priorities rendered a campaign untenable, the league says.

No doubt this decision was driven in large by an anticipated inability to generate significant revenue without regular paid attendance. Expanding the income possibilities through television and other media initiatives rates as a priority for the league, the announcement goes on to specify.

Despite the bad news, the Mexican League sounded a rather upbeat tone. Players and umpires will receive financial support, though to what extent isn’t specified. And the league says it’ll use the time off to work on various changes to secure the long-term viability of the business.

Giants Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Patrick Bailey

By | at

The Giants have agreed to a $3.8MM bonus with first-round selection Patrick Bailey, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He was selected 13th overall, a position that came with a $4,197,300 slot allocation.

This represents the first big draft strike for the San Francisco organization, which has quite a bit of signing left to do. The savings on this selection will presumably be rolled over to later-drafted players.

Bailey, a backstop out of N.C. State, will slot in behind recent top selection Joey Bart in the long-term catching pipeline. If and when the club ends up with some tough decisions to make involving those two players and long-time star receiver Buster Posey, it’d surely consider it a good problem to have.

Entering the draft, all major pundits graded Bailey as one of the twenty best players available. ESPN.com and Fangraphs each rated him within the top dozen. The switch-hitter isn’t exactly hyped for his endless ceiling, but prospect watchers seem to agree he has solid all-around skills and real potential to become a regular backstop at the game’s highest level.

Rockies Release Zac Rosscup

By | at

The Rockies recently released southpaw Zac Rosscup, according to the latest Baseball America transactions log. It seems the organization determined he would not be a part of the 60-man player pool and was not otherwise worth keeping under contract.

Also cut loose by the Rox were fellow lefty Evan Grills and infielder Carlos Herrera. The BA report also mentions that the Colorado organization parted ways with Kelby Tomlinson, a transaction that MLBTR recently reported.

Rosscup, 32, has seen action in six of the past seven MLB campaigns. But he has really never held down a consistent job in a big-league bullpen. Rosscup appeared with three teams in 2019 alone.

All told, the former 28th-round draft pick has compiled a 5.16 ERA in 83 2/3 innings at the game’s highest level. While he owns an excellent 12.2 K/9 over that run, he has also surrendered 5.9 free passes and 1.6 home runs per regulation game. Through 115 career frames at Triple-A, he owns a similar K/BB mix but has found much greater success (2.74 ERA) by avoiding the long ball (0.5 per nine).

Eppler On Possibility Of 2020 Debut For Jo Adell

By | at

Top Angels prospect Jo Adell won’t have a chance to force his way into the big leagues this year through his play at Triple-A, but that may not be altogether necessary. GM Billy Eppler says that he anticipates Adell will have the opportunities he needs to show the team he’s ready, as Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report.

That’s certainly far from a guarantee that Adell is going to debut in 2020. But Eppler says the Halos intend to structure their second preparatory camp in such a way that the talented 21-year-old will see plenty of competitive action.

“There’s some upside to the intrasquad format,” says Eppler, who explained that the organization anticipates staging contests between its major and minor-league participants. “We’ll just have to keep getting [Adell] at-bats. There’s going to be talented pitchers over there for him to face and we’ll go from there.”

Adell is by most accounts one of the five best overall prospects in baseball. On the whole, he has done nothing but impress since the Angels took him out of high school with the tenth overall pick of the 2017 draft. But having only just turned 21, Adell does probably have a few more boxes to check before he’s handed the keys to an outfield spot alongside Mike Trout.

Last year, after working through some early-season injuries, Adell laid wasted to High-A and Double-A pitching but showed his age a bit after moving to the highest level of the minors. All told, he finished with 340 plate appearances of .289/.359/.475 hitting. Adell was productive, but not overwhelmingly so, in a 24-game Arizona Fall League stint (.273/.351/.444).

It was never likely that Adell would force his way onto the Opening Day roster, with legitimate remaining developmental goals alongside service-time consideration. Any faint hope dissipated as he struck out 13 times in his 26 Cactus League plate appearances.

With an odd and uncertain 2020 season now on the docket, the Angels will surely take a flexible approach to handling Adell. The plan, clearly, is to get him as many reps as possible. If there’s a need and opportunity at the MLB level, and Adell seems ready, there’s not much reason for the Halos to hold back on a promotion. (Service time will be pro-rated. So long as Adell spends a few days off of the active roster, he won’t qualify for a full year of MLB service.) Making a surprise run at the division in a short-season format may well hinge upon the ability to call upon such a special talent.

Cubs Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy Details COVID Bout

By | at

Players and staff members are reporting today in order to re-launch the 2020 season. The first order of business will be coronavirus check-in testing.

One important member of the Cubs organization won’t be anxiously awaiting the results of his test. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has already endured a bout with COVID-19, he tells 670 The Score’s Mully and Haugh (h/t Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, via Twitter).

While Hottovy is no longer positive for the virus, he says he is still not fully back to himself. He’s through the worst of it, which required some time in the hospital, but is still struggling with lung function and cardiovascular fitness.

In yet another reminder of how insidious this particular disease can be, Hottovy says he had acted quite cautiously in public before coming down with it. Fortunately, he was able to self-isolate and avoid transmitting it to his family.

Hottovy was able to work with Cubs pitchers remotely even while battling the infection, so he’s ready to hit the ground running. He says the organization’s hurlers worked hard during the lockdown and should be well-prepared to tackle the 2020 campaign.

KBO Preparing For Return Of Fans

By | at

JULY 1: The return of live fans will have to wait at least a bit longer, per Yoo (via Twitter). Governmental approval still hasn’t been issued, though it still seems likely to come before long — except, perhaps, in the Kia Tigers’ home city of Gwangju, where there has been an uptick in coronavirus cases. (It’s still a much smaller number than most U.S. cities are dealing with.)

JULY 30: The Korea Baseball Organization has thus far successfully followed Taiwan’s top league in launching a 2020 season. Now, the KBO hopes to join the CPBL in re-introducing live attendance.

Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News reports (Twitter link; full story) that fans could be in the seats within days. The plan is to open at approximately thirty percent capacity, with careful precautions in place to limit the potential for coronavirus transmission.

All of the planning is obviously occurring in concert with Korean authorities, who’ll need to sign off on the final plan. The league is working up a variety of protocols, according to Yoo.

While it may seem like a fairly rapid development to go from no fans to nearly one-third attendance, it seems the KBO has been hard at work all this time preparing for a re-launch. Among the measures being taken:

  • Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
  • Utilization of QR codes at entry to limit contact and enable tracing if transmission is suspected.
  • Modified entrance and spaced seating protocols.

It’s obviously quite important to understand that the KBO (like the CPBL) is operating in a nation that has far lower current COVID-19 prevalence than does the United States. Korea’s top league has already provided a model for relaunching play, but its strict standards for maintaining its schedule — the league says it will shut down for at least three weeks if any member of a team tests positive — would almost certainly be unworkable for MLB. If and when it comes to considering the reintroduction of fans on this side of the Pacific, it’ll be important to learn from the KBO while also recognizing the very different public health situation.

Hoyer On Cubs’ Roster Plan

By | at

Like all of their competitors, the Cubs have just launched into a whole new world of roster management with the introduction of a 60-man player pool for the 2020 season. The Chicago organization elected to open with just fifty slots filled — a decision that GM Jed Hoyer discussed with reporters including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. (Links below to Twitter.)

Different teams took differing approaches, with the Cubs among those wary of getting stuck with an over-stuffed 60-man unit. Hoyer says the Cubs elected to leave so many openings now to remain nimble as an unusual season unfolds. The idea is to have capacity to add depth as needed in a 60-game sprint. Ensuring adequate support for the active MLB roster is obviously the top priority, but Hoyer did note that the Cubs may ultimately add some more prospects to the pool for developmental reasons.

[RELATED: Explaining The 2020 MLB Roster Rules]

Of course, it may ultimately also be necessary to have prospects on the 60-man in order to structure deals for big league talent. Hoyer plainly believes there’s quite a lot of uncertain waters yet to be navigated. “I just don’t think we know what this is going to be like,” he said when asked about the August 31st trade deadline. 60-man pool flexibility could come in handy if the Cubbies end up being active in dealmaking, which Hoyer left open as a possibility. He says “it’s way too early to tell” how much mid-season player movement we’ll experience.

At the moment, anyway, it doesn’t seem the Cubs are holding spots open for any particular targets from outside the organization. Hoyer says the team is “not down the road” on bringing in any new talent.

That’s true even though the team now has a previously unknown need: filling out a DH spot. Flexibility will be the name of the game there as well, Hoyer indicates. While some National League clubs have added veteran hitters, the Chicago GM says his team intends to utilize its existing depth. Hoyer says the Cubs can manage the position in “a lot of different ways.” He specifically mentioned the possibility of rotating outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Stephen Souza and catchers Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini through the DH slot.

2020 Minor League Season Canceled

By | at

4:00pm: Minor League Baseball has formally announced the cancellation of its 2020 season.

12:15pm: The 2020 minor-league season will be canceled, according to a report from Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper and Josh Norris. While widely expected, the news comes as a major blow to the minor-league teams and many young players who were hopeful of continuing to chase after a coveted MLB roster spot.

This was already shaping up to be a rough campaign for the minors long before the coronavirus was on anyone’s radar. As 2019 came to a close, a tense and rather high-profile battle was already underway regarding MLB’s plans for cutting down on the number of minor-league affiliates.

Minor League Baseball’s effort to defend its member teams was greatly imperiled by the global pandemic. Public attention, for good reason, has been elsewhere. And minor-league teams have experienced a more-or-less complete halt to revenue.

A resumption of play might have helped. There were times when it seemed plausible, but any hope dissipated over recent weeks. Even as MLB and its players haggled over the terms for a big league resumption, a ramp-up of virus transmission in many parts of the United States served to increase the already great logistical challenges to a MiLB season.

We’ll see how the broader picture turns out. For now, it’s a rough situation for minors clubs that rely entirely upon in-person gameday revenue (and advertising associated with anticipated spectatorship).

The situation is obviously also detrimental to the players that are now sitting at home without a clear path to playing baseball in 2020. Some limited number of prospects — generally, those with clear paths to the majors — have been invited to participate in MLB summer camps and ongoing training. But those that weren’t named to 60-man player pools will have to get creative.

There is a potential indie ball outlet, but that’s not likely to provide many opportunities. The Baseball America team has reported that some players are participating in local amateur leagues, though the level of competition will obviously not be up to the typical standard. Fortunately, most MLB teams are committing at least to paying $400 weekly stipends to the minor-leaguers that are left in limbo. That’s a help, but hardly a full solution for those players that were not already cut loose from their organizations.

Tigers Agree To Terms With Spencer Torkelson

By | at

The Tigers have agreed to terms with top overall draft choice Spencer Torkelson, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’s set to receive a hefty $8,416,300 bonus.

Spencer Torkelson | Arizona State Media Relations/Jeremy Hawkes

While he only topped the 1-1 draft slot allocation by a nominal amount ($1K), it’s still quite a notable number. Per Callis, this is the biggest draft bonus ever given. It’s also the first time a first overall pick has reached the full slot value since the current draft system (with prohibitive penalties for excessive spending) went into effect.

Torkelson entered the draft as the consensus top overall talent, so it came as no surprise when he went first overall. The Tigers have enjoyed quite a lot of good years from Miguel Cabrera, who may overlap in Detroit if Torkelson moves as quickly as many expect.

Over his three seasons at Arizona State, Torkelson carried a prodigious .337/.463/.729 batting line. He not only launched 54 home runs over his 628 trips to the plate, but walked more often than he struck out. As you might expect, Torkelson was more dominant than ever during the truncated 2020 season, solidifying his position as the top available player.

The greatest bit of intrigue on draft day came not with the calling of Torkelson’s name, but the Tigers’ announcement that they viewed him as a third baseman. Most anticipate the big slugger will end up at first base by the time he arrives in Motown. But the Tigers will at least give him a shot at settling in at the hot corner, where his monster bat could have even greater value.

Torkelson’s polish is all the more impressive given that he still hasn’t reached his 21st birthday. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how swiftly he forces his way up the farm system. No doubt the Tigers are hopeful that Torkelson will catch up to the many intriguing power pitchers already lining up for MLB opportunities.

Photo courtesy of Arizona State University Athletic Department.

MLB Pre-Approves 7 Bidding Groups For Mets

By | at

While it’s fun to imagine Alex Rodriguez and Jenifer Lopez overseeing the Mets from an ownership suite, they’re not alone in their bidding group … and there are plenty of other competing outfits eyeing the New York organization. At the moment, it’s far from clear just how the ownership transition will turn out.

Seven different groups have received pre-approval from Major League Baseball to pursue the Mets, Scott Soshnick reports at Sportico.com. That includes the three primary bidding groups that have already emerged publicly. The identity of the four other potential suitors remains unknown.

In recent years, we’ve seen teams change hands via differing mechanisms. Last year, John Sherman purchased his hometown Royals in a very quiet, tidy process. The 2017 Marlins sale occurred after a very public, long-running bidding process involving quite a few famous names.

It appears we’re headed for the latter scenario here. While the Mets had seemingly lined up an agreement with minority owner Steve Cohen, that prospective deal collapsed and left the Wilpon ownership group in need of outside bidders.

Under the circumstances, the Wilpons are surely interested in maintaining the interest of a fair number of reasonably serious bidders, at least for the initial phase of the process. First-round bids will be solicited in July, according to Soshnick.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top