Nationals Agree To Terms With Comp Pick Carter Kieboom
The Nationals have agreed to terms with their first selection from this year’s amateur draft, high school shortstop Carter Kieboom, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson first reported. Bonus terms weren’t reported.
He is the younger brother of Spencer Kieboom, a 25-year-old catching prospect who’s also in the Washington system. The younger Kieboom followed his brother to Marrietta, Georgia’s Walton High School. And he, too, committed to Clemson University, but won’t join him in attending.
It’s an open question whether Kieboom can stick at shortstop for the long run, though expectations are that he’d be a quality defender at third regardless. And his bat could be good enough to carry him at the corner infield, with observers giving him high marks for instincts, bat speed, coordination, and approach at the plate.
In the aggregate, ESPN.com’s Keith Law rates Kieboom as one of the thirty best draft-eligible prospects. Other outlets aren’t quite as enamored, with Baseball America placing him 44th and MLB.com giving him #45 billing.
The Nationals have a $2.066MM allocation for the 28th overall slot, which was used to take Kieboom. Washington also had the next choice, which it used on University of Florida righty Dane Dunnning, who is still pitching in the NCAA tournament.
The club didn’t have much of a need for cost savings, as it selected just one high-schooler in the first ten rounds: southpaw Jesus Luzardo, who was plucked in the third round. The Nats gave up their first-round selection by signing Daniel Murphy.
Reds Agree To Above-Slot Bonuses With Taylor Trammell, Chris Okey
The Reds have struck deals with two key picks from the recent amateur draft, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). Cincinnati has agreed to terms with competitive balance selection Taylor Trammell and second-rounder Chris Okey.
Trammell went 35th overall, but landed a bonus commensurate with his pre-draft standing. The high school outfielder from Georgia gets $3.2MM, well north of the $1,837,200 pick allocation.
Baseball America rated Trammell the 13th-best prospect available this year, citing his top-tier speed, quality bat, and growing power. There’s plenty of athleticism and, per BA, growing translation of the tools. Other outlets are less bullish on the two-sport athlete, however; MLB.com ranked him 32nd, while Keith Law of ESPN.com was far less bullish, placing Trammell down in the 44th slot.
Okey is another highly-regarded player who got something extra for waiting for Cinci to pull the trigger. He’ll take down $2MM after being chosen with the 43rd overall pick, which came with a $1,497,500 slot value.
The Clemson backstop received the highest grades from the MLB.com team, which placed him at #46 among eligible prospects. He doesn’t truly stand out in any particular area, per the report, but has solid overall abilities both at and behind the plate. The other prospect evaluators cited above generally concur, placing him in the fifties entering the draft.
The Reds reportedly saved $1,562,900 on its signing of second overall pick Nick Senzel, as against the funds available for his slot. But with the new commitments, Cincinnati is now just over $300K in the hole — which it ought to have little trouble covering with later bonuses. Of course, teams can also go up to 5% over their total pool — given Cincinnati’s league-leading $13,923,700 total pool, that’s an additional $696,185 of wiggle room — without sacrificing a future pick.
Giants To Sign Ruben Tejada To Minors Deal
The Giants have inked infielder Ruben Tejada, Connor Grossman of KNBR reports. It’s a minor league deal for the 26-year-old.
Tejada was recently cut loose by the Cardinals, who had signed him to a $1.5MM deal as they looked to fill in at shortstop. Previously, Tejada was tendered a contract by the Mets but then released before his $3MM deal became guaranteed. They owe him $491K after that move.
For San Francisco, Tejada provides another middle infield option for the organization. He’s a steady but unexciting player who generally rates just below average at the plate and with the glove at short. He struggled early in St. Louis, slashing just .176/.225/.235 over forty trips to the plate.
Rangers Place Yu Darvish On 15-Day DL
The Rangers have placed star righty Yu Darvish on the 15-day DL with ongoing shoulder and neck issues, per a team announcement (via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, on Twitter). Reliever Alex Claudio will take his place on the active roster.
Darvish had only just returned from a Tommy John rehab stint, providing Texas with an ace-level arm as it seeks to capture the AL West. The 29-year-old was excellent in three starts, allowing just five earned runs and a dozen hits over 15 2/3 innings, with 19 strikeouts against six walks.
The disabled list placement isn’t necessarily a grave concern in and of itself, as the team will understandably be cautious with its prized righty. But the nebulous injury concerns that have led to it could be a major problem. It’s unclear at present what the timeline and prognosis is for Darvish.
Depending upon how things play out, Darvish’s injury status could impact the trade deadline. Texas was already said to have some interest in looking at controllable starters this summer, and the impetus could grow if Darvish misses a significant amount of time.
Angels Designate Kyle Kubitza
The Angels have designated third baseman Kyle Kubitza for assignment, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). He was the club’s seventh-ranked prospect in the estimation of MLB.com, but lost his 40-man spot as the team continued to cycle through pitching.
Kubitza, who’ll soon turn 26, got a taste of the majors last year but struggled in 19 games of action. The former third-round pick had been productive in the lower minors, and showed fairly well last year in his first taste of the hitter-friendly PCL, but he’s off to a tepid .253/.349/.366 start in 2016.
While roster pressures are always tough, it’s somewhat surprising to see the Halos compelled to part with a decent prospect here. The team’s new leadership, under GM Billy Eppler, obviously didn’t quite see eye to eye with its prior front office. Former GM Jerry Dipoto had sent well-regarded young lefty Ricardo Sanchez to the Braves to add Kubitza back before the 2015 season.
Angels Designate David Huff, Select Al Alburquerque
The Angels made a series of roster moves involving their oft-rotated pitching staff. As MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez first suggested (Twitter links), the team will designate lefty David Huff for assignment and place righty Cory Rasmus on the 15-day DL, clearing active roster spots for right-handers A.J. Achter and Al Alburquerque.
Huff, 31, surrendered ten earned runs in just 5 1/3 frames over two starts, allowing 13 hits and four home runs along the way. He had been tasked with stepping into the rotation while the club awaits Tim Lincecum, who is expected to be ready for major league action this weekend.
Achter has provided 11 1/3 innings of 4.76 ERA pitching on the year to the Halos’ pen, but this’ll be the first shot for the veteran Albuquerque. He has thrown 21 2/3 frames at Triple-A on the season, working to a 2.49 ERA with 10.4 K/9 with 4.2 BB/9.
Dodgers Release Carl Crawford
The Dodgers have released outfielder Carl Crawford, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets. Recently designated for assignment, Crawford obviously did not draw any interest on the waiver wire.
Crawford is still owed $35MM or so on the ill-fated contract he first signed with the Red Sox, after all, and there was no chance that was being taken over by another organization. That cash will remain on the Dodgers’ books, with other teams free to add Crawford at the league minimum rate.
Though the waiver clearance was fully expected, it would be surprising if there isn’t at least some interest in the 34-year-old veteran. He has struggled this year, and continues to deal with a variety of maladies, but Crawford still owns a useful .278/.320/.400 batting line in over 1,000 plate appearances over his four seasons in Los Angeles.
That’s solid league-average hitting, which is all the more appealing when combined with his other skills. Crawford continues to move well on the bases when healthy. And he’s long been viewed as a quality outfielder. The recent returns from defensive metrics aren’t as promising, but he’s only been seen as a negative in a small and injury-riddled sample.
The fleet-footed Crawford certainly isn’t the player he once was, but as an essentially free asset he makes for an interesting addition to the open market. Organizations interested in a left-handed-hitting outfielder could do a lot worse, at a much higher cost, so he could be pursued relatively broadly for a just-released player.
Mariners Sign First-Rounder Kyle Lewis
The Mariners have signed first-round pick Kyle Lewis, whom they took 11th overall in this year’s draft. That selection comes with a $3.287MM slot value, which is what the outfielder will receive.
Lewis chatted with MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom before the draft, discussing his late commitment to the game of baseball. He also explained all the work he’s done and confidence he’s gained since turning his attention away from hoops late in his high school career.
MLB.com prospect gurus Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis called Lewis the third-best player available entering the draft. That was based in large part on his “easy pop to all fields,” but the duo credited him also with a strong overall skillset to go with the power.
That was largely the same assessment of the Baseball America team, which rated him fourth. ESPN.com’s Keith Law pegged Lewis as the tenth overall draft prospect, suggesting that he’s slightly more concerned than others with the 20-year-old’s need to refine his hitting mechanics — though that was a common issue raised by all of these evaluators.
While Lewis is a center fielder by trade, the consensus appears to be that he’ll eventually settle in at a corner spot. A strong arm could land him in right field, per the reports. Perhaps due in part to his lack year-round baseball before heading to college, Lewis’s game speed is said to lag his raw velocity on his feet.
Seattle has to be pleased with the way things broke with its first pick. The club was somewhat hamstrung last winter because it fell out of the top 10 with a win in its final game last year — meaning that it possessed the top unprotected pick in the draft for purposes of signing players who declined qualifying offers. After holding on to the choice rather than punting it to add a high-profile free agent, it was surely gratifying to see an elite name not only fall to them, but also sign in short order.
Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune first reported the deal. Chris Cotillo of SB Nation had the financial details.
Red Sox Interested In Both Starters And Relievers
The Red Sox are telling other clubs that they have interest in exploring trades for both starters and relievers this summer, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. It’s all preparatory work at this point, rather than specific trade discussions, but it appears that the club’s path is beginning to be charted.
Boston’s rotation has been marked by intrigue for some time, with Steven Wright‘s emergence, Eduardo Rodriguez‘s return from injury, and the struggles of Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly among the storylines. While David Price remains the staff ace, with Rick Porcello also locked into a spot, it appears that the team could look either to bolster its depth with a solid veteran or add another top-tier option.
The bullpen, meanwhile, has seen its share of impressive performances and looks to be a strong unit overall. But the loss of Carson Smith and some concerns with Koji Uehara — who, it should be noted, still carries outstanding peripherals — raise the possibility of adding another impact late-inning arm. It’s certainly possible to imagine the organization targeting a power southpaw if it does so. Robbie Ross has signifcantly boosted his swinging strike rate, which is promising, but Tommy Layne continues to issue too many walks and hasn’t been as effective as usual against opposing lefties.
As Drellich notes, while the focus may be on arms, it remains plausible to imagine a move for an outfielder as well. He opines that the club could pursue a left-handed-hitting platoon partner for Chris Young or chase a bigger piece to take over regular duties in left field.
Heyman’s Latest: D-Backs, Villar, Mets, Yanks, Gibbons, Ramos
Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart tells Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com that the organization is “not giving up” despite a dismal start to the year. He did acknowledge that “the signs are not real good right now,” though. And in suggesting that the team thinks there’s a chance A.J. Pollock could return by September, Stewart added, somewhat ominously: “Hopefully, we’re still in it.”
Here are some more notes from the column:
- When asked whether the Brewers would consider dealing shortstop Jonathan Villar this summer, GM David Stearns suggested it would be unlikely. “We are looking to acquire players like that,” he said. It’s been quite a turnaround for the 25-year-old since he followed Stearns from the Astros to Milwaukee. Over 250 plate appearances, Villar owns a .306/.405/.450 batting line with a league-leading 22 steals. Better still, he’ll likely fall shy of Super Two status next year, so there’s plenty of cheap control remaining.
- The Mets haven’t tried to open extension talks with either Noah Syndergaard or Jacob deGrom, per Heyman. It seems the same holds true of Matt Harvey, who is further ahead in service time, with a source telling Heyman that the star righty is highly unlikely to be retained past his arb eligibility. It is a bit surprising to learn, though, that the team hasn’t at least looked into whether there might be a bargain to be had amongst the pre-arb righties — deGrom in particular, since he is somewhat older and might be more willing to settle for a team-friendly rate.
- The Yankees, meanwhile, won’t sell in the near-term, but will reconsider in the run-up to the trade period. That’s not surprising to hear; the team is, after all, still treading water in the division.
- While the Blue Jays don’t have any inclination to part with John Gibbons at present, Heyman suggests it’s unlikely he’ll be retained past the present season. A “huge year” could change that, though.
- The Nationals dabbled with the idea of upgrading over Wilson Ramos over the winter, but decided against it — or, at least didn’t find a deal to their liking. That’s turned out to be wise in retrospect, as the big Venezuelan is off to a notable start at the plate: .345/.392/.554 with eight home runs and just 21 walks against 13 strikeouts over 181 plate appearances. The pending free agent remains an interesting player to watch the rest of the way.