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Red Sox Sign First-Rounder Tanner Houck

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The Red Sox have signed first-round selection Tanner Houck, per a club announcement. He’ll earn a $2,614,500 bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter), the exact slot value of the 24th overall pick.

Houck is a 20-year-old righty out of the University of Missouri. Entering the draft, he drew varying assessments from pundits, ranking as high as 20th (on the MLB.com board) and as low as 40th (from Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs).

The debate is a familiar one: will Houck stick in the rotation or end up as a reliever? In this case, the question stems from his unorthodox arm angle and lack of polish on his offspeed offerings. But he’s working from a big fastball (in terms of both velocity and movement), with some promise to his oft-utilized slider and still-developing change.

Boston seems to believe that Houck has a legitimate chance of reaching his lofty ceiling. Even if he ends up working in relief, though, the 20-year-old could perhaps turn into a compelling late-inning arm in relatively short order.

Check Out Pro Hockey Rumors For NHL Expansion Draft Coverage

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In true Las Vegas fashion, the city’s first major sports team will reveal their initial roster at an awards ceremony this evening. With the power to select a single player from every other team, the Vegas Golden Knights have held all the cards for the past few weeks. Already they’ve swung deals to acquire young talent and that should continue well into the night. Is Shea Theodore heading to the strip? Will James Neal try for his tenth-straight 20-goal season in the desert?
At 7pm tonight, the team will be announced and Pro Hockey Rumors is the only place you need for all the instant analysis and reaction from around the league. From closed-door dealing to expansion extravaganzas, the most exciting time in the NHL offseason is happening right now. Follow @prohockeyrumors on Twitter to keep up with all the breaking player movement, and download the Trade Rumors app for iOS to never miss a minute of hockey coverage.

AL East Notes: Sandoval, Devers, Tillman, Erasmo

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Tim Britton of the Providence Journal takes a look at where the Red Sox’ contract with Pablo Sandoval stands historically in comparison to other large contracts. As might be expected, it doesn’t fare well at this stage of the analysis. While there’s still time for the former star to add back value, it seems likelier than ever that he won’t hold onto a roster spot for the rest of the season. (Currently, Sandoval is taking a DL stint for an inner ear infection.) As things stand, says Britton, Sandoval has posted the worst performance (by measure of WAR) of any player to sign a deal in excess of $90MM.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • Sandoval’s struggles have helped frame the trade deadline for the Red Sox, as third base presently stands as a glaring need. But there is perhaps one other possibility: top prospect Rafael Devers, who has hit well at Double-A. Boston, presumably, would want to have a look at Devers in the majors before deciding whether to forgo a significant outside addition. That won’t happen immediately, though; per skipper John Farrell, via Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (on Twitter), Devers’s next promotion will be to Triple-A Pawtucket, not to the majors. With less than six weeks to go until the trade deadline, this raises the question whether the club is seriously considering Devers as the near-term answer at third. That said, it’s possible to imagine that Boston will hold out such a possibility while also moving to add a veteran piece at the hot corner, perhaps preferring a player who could also see time elsewhere on the diamond (in the middle infield, at first, or even in the outfield) over a pure third bagger.
  • The Orioles’ rotation remains a major question mark, with righty Chris Tillman now seemingly at risk of losing his spot. As Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes, team and player seem to be running out of ideas; Tillman has limped to a ghastly 8.39 ERA with just 5.9 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9 through 39 2/3 innings on the year since returning from injury. While manager Buck Showalter says he’s “hoping Chris can solve this as a starter,” he hinted that the patience is running thin while noting that Tillman is operating without “a lot of crispness” or “a real confident presentation” on the mound. While Tillman says he’s healthy, Meoli notes that he’s struggling to maintain his release point — with a velocity drop and command troubles on his secondary offerings seemingly resulting. All told, it’s a big problem for the O’s, who lack obvious internal solutions, and for the pending free agent.
  • Also struggling at the moment is Rays righty Erasmo Ramirez. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, skipper Kevin Cash says that there’s no immediate threat to Ramirez’s rotation spot despite his recent struggles. Still, Topkin suggests that Ramirez’s outing today could determine his near-term fate. With young lefty Blake Snell and others throwing well at Triple-A, there are alternative available to Tampa Bay. How the Rays rotation evolves over the coming six weeks could have some deadline implications, too. The club presently sits two games over .500, and likely won’t punt a chance to contend, but might still market a starter (particularly, free-agent-to-be Alex Cobb) if the team feels it has sufficient in-house depth.

Phillies Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Adam Haseley

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11:01am: Philadelphia has announced the signing of Haseley and six other picks from the first ten rounds of the draft. Howard, a righty from Cal Poly, will earn a $1.15MM bonus, Callis tweets. That’s shy of the $1,523,800 allocation for the 45th overall pick with which he was taken, though most of those savings will go towards Haseley’s payout.

8:42am: The Phillies have agreed on bonus terms with first-round pick Adam Haseley, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. (CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury tweeted yesterday that the draftee was in Philadelphia.) While the deal has yet to be finalized, it is likely to be inked in the coming days.

Haseley will take home a $5.1MM bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He was tabbed with the eighth overall pick of the draft, which comes with a $4,780,400 bonus allocation.

It seems that the Phils have largely sorted out their pool money for this year’s amateur haul, as Zolecki also notes that the club has deals in place with the bulk of its top ten picks. That includes second-round pick Spencer Howard and third-rounder Jake Scheiner.

Haseley, an outfielder at the University of Virginia, emerged as a consensus top-ten draft prospect over the course of a huge junior season. The left-handed hitter isn’t seen as a major future power source, but did hit 14 long balls on the year and otherwise delivers strong tools across the board.

Many expect Haseley to be able to handle center field as a professional; that’s the view of ESPN.com’s Keith Law, who ranked him sixth overall. MLB.com’s prospect team isn’t so sure of that, ranking him 10th on the pre-draft board, though they note he has a solid-enough arm to profile in any of the three spots on the grass. While he featured as a two-way player at U.Va., Haseley isn’t valued nearly as highly as a pitching prospect

Red Sox Place Pablo Sandoval On 10-Day DL

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The saga of Pablo Sandoval has taken another interesting turn, as the Red Sox announced today that he has been placed on the 10-day DL with an inner ear infection. The underperforming veteran has long been rumored as a candidate to be replaced, but the move at least buys the team some time to plot its next steps.

Boston also announced that righty Austin Maddox was optioned back to Triple-A. First baseman Sam Travis and infielder Deven Marrero will come up to take the open spots on the active roster.

Sandoval, 30, now owns a .212/.269/.354 slash through 108 plate appearances. That’s obviously far shy of the kind of output the Sox need from a regular third baseman. And if he’s not capable of manning that spot with some regularity, there’s not much function to keeping him around.

Of course, there’s more to it than just that. The Red Sox owe Sandoval $17MM this year, $18MM apiece in 2018 and 2019, and then a $5MM buyout on a 2020 option. While the club is obviously going to pay that regardless, it would no doubt prefer to hold out the possibility of receiving some return on its investment.

Indeed, there seems to be a sense within the organization that there’s still some glimmer of hope for Sandoval after he worked hard to get in shape over the winter and showed well this spring. And it’s not as if the in-house replacement options are terribly appealing, either. Marrero will likely pair with Josh Rutledge at third, at least once Dustin Pedroia is able to return at second, while Travis will offer an alternative another right-handed bat for the first base/DH mix.

Phillies Designate Jeanmar Gomez, Michael Saunders

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The Phillies made a rather dramatic roster move today, announcing that righty Jeanmar Gomez and outfielder Michael Saunders have been designated for assignment in one fell swoop. Lefty Hoby Milner and outfielder Cameron Perkins have had their contracts purchased.

While there were never realistic hopes of contention in 2017, the Phillies’ worst-in-baseball 22-and-46 record nevertheless represents a considerable disappointment. These two veterans are hardly the only poor performers, but their pronounced struggles were increasingly hard to ignore.

Still, it’s a bit of a stunner to see the move take place. Gomez was the Phils’ closer for the bulk of 2016 and is earning a cool $4.2MM with one more year of arb control remaining. And Saunders landed in Philadelphia over the winter on a $9MM guarantee. The Phils were hoping they had scored a bargain when his market failed to develop, but will instead punt on the rest of that deal — including the rights to an $11MM option for 2018.

It’s never easy to give up on such highly paid players, but Philadelphia no doubt felt some pressure to shake things up. And the writing seemed to be on the wall for these players, whose continued presence might only have taken opportunities from younger options.

In the case of Gomez, 29, a poor finish last year has carried over — and then some. He has had some strong years in the past, despite frequently lagging peripherals, but currently owns a 7.25 ERA on 31 hits (including seven home runs) in 22 1/3 innings. Though Gomez is generating far more swings and misses than usual, to go with his typically strong groundball rate, he’s also backing himself into a corner with a career-low 53.0% first-pitch strike rate.

The developments are yet more surprising with regard to Saunders, 30, who was streaky but generally quite good in 2016. He’s slashing just .205/.257/.360 with six home runs through 214 plate appearances on the season thus far. Though his .245 BABIP suggests some misfortune, Saunders is also making a lot of soft contact and has seen his typically solid walk rate dive to 6.1%.

As for the newcomers, the 26-year-old Milner gets his first call-up after failing to crack the Indians’ roster as a Rule 5 pick. he has posted a 2.60 ERA with 27 strikeouts and just four walks over 27 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Perkins, also 26, has previously failed to master the highest level of the minors. But the former sixth-round pick is carrying an excellent .298/.388/.476 slash through 241 plate appearances there this year.

Marlins Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Trevor Rogers

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The Marlins have agreed to terms with first-round pick Trevor Rogers, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter links). The high school southpaw will take home a $3.4MM bonus, so long as his physical checks out.

With the move, Miami will save $475,800 against the slot allocation of the 13th overall draft selection. It’s not yet clear just how the team will utilize those savings. Interestingly, all the team’s remaining picks from the first ten rounds went to collegiate players, though some appears to be ticketed for 11th rounder Dakota Bennett.

Coming into the draft, there was a split of opinion on Rogers. ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranked him the 15th-best player available, citing his long frame and big stuff. Others were less bullish; Baseball America had him at 31st on its board, for example. For one thing, Rogers is already closing in on his twentieth birthday; for another, he has not always shown up in game action as much as might be expected.

Braxton Garrett To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Top Marlins prospect Braxton Garrett is undergoing Tommy John surgery today on his left elbow, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. The southpaw recently was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL.

The seventh overall pick in last year’s draft, Garrett entered the year with consensus top-100 billing. He showed well in 15 1/3 innings this year at the Class A level, pitching to a 2.93 ERA with 16 strikeouts against six walks, before being sidelined.

That’s difficult news for a Marlins organization that is in need of future rotation assets and is generally regarded to have one of the game’s worst farm systems. It also marks the second consecutive season in which the club’s consensus top prospect has required Tommy John surgery. A year ago, right-hander Tyler Kolek (the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft), also suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery. He’s yet to return to the mound in 2017 after missing the entire ’16 campaign.

Brewers To Sign Tom Wilhelmsen

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The Brewers have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran righty Tom Wilhelmsen, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. He’ll head to the team’s top affiliate.

As McCalvy notes, Wilhelmsen has an interesting history already with the Milwaukee organization. The Brewers drafted him and welcomed him back after an extended stint away from the game.

Of course, the now-33-year-old Wilhelmsen has never suited up for the Brewers at the game’s highest level, instead plying his trade in the majors elsewhere over the past seven seasons. If he wants to do so now, he’ll need to earn his way back up.

Wilhelmsen became available when he was released recently by the Diamondbacks. He has seen his swinging-strike rate drop all the way to 6.2%, with 17 strikeouts and 12 walks through 26 1/3 innings. But the veteran is still popping 95 with his fastball and getting grounders on about half of the balls put in play against him.

For Milwaukee, it certainly makes sense to add some cheap depth given the club’s recent bullpen struggles. Wilhelmsen will cost only the league minimum during any time he spends in the majors, as the D-Backs will continue to pay the remainder of his $1.25MM salary for the season.

Draft Signings: Reds, Brewers, Yankees, Tigers

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Here are some of the day’s notable draft signings:

  • The Reds have agreed to terms with three of their top four picks, according to reports from MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (on Twitter) and Jim Callis (also via Twitter). 32nd overall selection Jeter Downs and 38th pick Stuart Fairchild have both signed for at-slot bonuses, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Downs, a high-school shortstop, will receive $2,084,400 to forgo his commitment to the University of Miami. The MLB.com prospect team was the only one to place him inside the top 50, at #37, citing his solid all-around profile and rising status entering the draft. Fairchild, a junior outfielder out of Wake Forest, will take the $1,802,800 slot money. ESPN.com’s Keith Law was the highest pundit on Fairchild, ranking him 31st among eligible players while noting his strength and potential ability to remain in center field as a professional. Meanwhile, third-round pick Jacob Heatherly will land well over the $743,900 slot value of the 77th overall pick. The prep lefty will take home a $1,047,500 bonus, per Callis.
  • Brewers second-rounder Caden Lemons has struck a deal with his new team, he tells Kyle Parmley of the Vestavia Voice. The Ole Miss commit elected to turn pro for a still-unreported bonus amount. Lemons was taken 46th overall, a pick that comes with a $1,493,500 allocation. Entering the draft, the righty was ranked as high as 52nd overall. He received that grade from ESPN.com’s Keith Law, who cites Lemon’s projectability as well as concerns about his ability to stick in the rotation with a slight build.
  • The Yankees are in agreement with their second-round pick, righty Matt Sauer, pending a physical, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports on Twitter. Bonus terms remain unknown at this time, but the 54th overall pick comes with a $1,236,000 allocation. Sauer, a California high-schooler who had been ticketed for the University of Arizona, drew top-thirty billing from MLB.com, Baseball America, and Fangraphs. While Sauer’s big fastball and slider point towards significant upside, the analysts agree he’ll need to work on a third offering to make it in a MLB rotation.
  • Tigers second-rounder Reynaldo Rivera is in agreement on a $850K bonus, Callis tweets. That’ll save the organization nearly $300K against the slot value to utilize on other players. Rivera, a power-hitting first baseman from Chipola Junior College, did not draw any top-100 prospect tabs but did land in the 150th place on MLB.com’s board.
  • Diamondbacks supplemental second-round choice Daulton Varsho will receive the slot value of $880,100 that comes with the 68th overall pick, Callis reports on Twitter. The Wisconsin-Milwaukee backstop, who’s the son of former big leaguer Gary Varsho, was the last player to reach the top 100 on Baseball America’s ranking.
  • In bonus news, the Rays gave second-round pick Michael Mercado $2,132,400, Callis tweets, which is well over the $1,714,500 bonus allocation for the 40th overall pick. His signing had previously been reported. Angels second-rounder Griffin Canning will indeed receive the slot value of $1,459,200, Callis tweets, as had previously been suggested.

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