Minor MLB Transactions: 6/9/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Padres corner infielder Josh Satin has retired, Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online first reported (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has seen action in four seasons with the Mets, compiling a .243/.346/.351 slash line in 292 big league plate appearances. He has scuffled in limited playing time this year at Triple-A, though, with just eight base knocks in 49 trips to the dish.
- The Giants have acquired outfielder Shawon Dunston Jr. from the Cubs, as he himself tweeted (h/t to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, via Twitter). It’s a cash deal for the son of the former big leaguer, who also went from Chicago to San Francisco in the mid-nineties. Of course, the younger Dunston hasn’t yet cracked the majors; far from it, in fact. Signed to a significant bonus after being picked in the 11th round of the 2011 draft, he has yet to advance past the High-A level at 23 years of age. Over 128 plate appearances there this year, he owns a .219/.299/.342 batting line with seven steals.
2016 MLB Draft Results — Compensation & Competitive Balance Round A
With the traditional first-round picks in the books, we’ll use this post to track the “sandwich” selections that come before the second round: compensatory picks awarded to clubs that lost QO-declining free agents as well as Round A of the competitive balance picks (tradeable choices that are awarded by lottery to low-revenue/small market clubs).
Click here for bonus pools and other important context, including links to scouting reports and other assessments. Here are the picks:
Compensation Picks
24. Padres — Hudson Sanchez, SS/3B, Carroll Senior HS, Southlake, TX
25. Padres — Eric Lauer, LHP, Kent State University
26. White Sox — Zack Burdi, RHP, University of Louisville
27. Orioles — Cody Sedlock, RHP, University of Illinois
28. Nationals — Carter Kieboom, SS/3B, Walton HS, Marietta, GA
29. Nationals — Dane Dunning, RHP, University of Florida
30. Rangers — Cole Ragans, LHP, North Florida Christian HS, Crawfordville, FL
31. Mets — Anthony Kay, LHP, University of Connecticut
32. Dodgers — Will Smith, C, University of Louisville
33. Cardinals — Dylan Carlson, OF, Elk Grove HS, Elk Grove, CA
34. Cardinals — Dakota Hudson, RHP, Mississippi State University
Competitive Balance (Round A) Picks
35. Reds — Taylor Trammell, OF, Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, GA
36. Dodgers — Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Vanderbilt University
37. Athletics — Daulton Jefferies, RHP, University of California
38. Rockies — Robert Tyler, RHP, University of Georgia
39. Diamondbacks — Anfernee Grier, OF, Auburn University
40. Braves (via Marlins) — Joey Wentz, LHP, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, KS
41. Pirates — Nick Lodolo, LHP, Damien HS, La Verne, CA
2016 MLB Draft Results — First Round
The 2016 MLB Draft is underway, and we’ll track the first-round picks as they come in — starting with the first 23 picks (worst-to-first, and excepting teams that sacrificed picks to sign qualifying offer-declining free agents). We’ll fire up another post for the “sandwich” choices: selections awarded to clubs that lost QO-declining free agents and competitive balance Round A picks.
Click here for bonus pools and other important context, including links to scouting reports and other assessments. Here are the picks (links to players who participated in MLBTR’s Draft Prospect Q&A Series):
- Phillies — Mickey Moniak, OF, La Costa Canyon HS, Carlsbad, CA
- Reds — Nick Senzel, IF, University of Tennessee
- Braves — Ian Anderson, RHP, Shenendehowa HS, Clifton Park, NY
- Rockies — Riley Pint, RHP, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Overland Park, KS
- Brewers — Corey Ray, OF, University of Louisville
- Athletics — A.J. Puk, LHP, University of Florida
- Marlins — Braxton Garrett, LHP, Florence HS, Florence, AL
- Padres — Cal Quantrill, RHP, Stanford University
- Tigers — Matt Manning, RHP, Sheldon HS, Sacramento, CA
- White Sox — Zack Collins, C/1B, University of Miami — Agreed to sign for slot value ($3.3806MM)
- Mariners — Kyle Lewis, OF, Mercer University
- Red Sox — Jason Groome, LHP, Barnegat HS, Barnegat, NJ
- Rays — Joshua Lowe, 3B, Pope HS, Marietta, GA
- Indians — Will Benson, OF, The Westminster Schools, Atlanta, GA
- Twins — Alex Kirilloff, OF, Plum HS, Pittsburgh, PA
- Angels — Matt Thaiss, C, University of Virginia
- Astros — Forrest Whitley, RHP, Alamo Heights HS, San Antonio, TX
- Yankees — Blake Rutherford, OF, Chaminade College Prep HS, Canoga Park, CA
- Mets — Justin Dunn, RHP, Boston College
- Dodgers — Gavin Lux, SS, Indian Trail Academy, Kenosha, WI
- Blue Jays — T.J. Zeuch, RHP, University of Pittsburgh
- Pirates — Will Craig, RHP/3B, Wake Forest
- Cardinals — Delvin Perez, SS, International Baseball Academy, Ceiba, Puerto Rico
Cubs To Sign Joel Peralta
The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran righty Joel Peralta, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The agreement is pending a physical.
Peralta, 40, was recently cut loose by the Mariners after a rough start to the season. Seattle still owes him the balance of his $1.25MM salary, less whatever he can earn (presumably, at the league minimum) with Chicago or another organization.
Though Peralta has pitched to a 5.40 ERA in his 23 1/3 frames on the year, there is some reason for optimism. He also struck out 10.8 and walked only 2.7 batters per nine with the M’s, and he’s maintained his velocity while hitting the zone and managing contact much as he has in prior years. The trick will be limiting the long ball, which has hurt the flyball-prone reliever thus far in 2016.
Per the report, the Blue Jays and Royals also showed interest before Peralta elected to reunite with manager Joe Maddon. Many of Peralta’s best seasons came with Tampa Bay during his four-year run with the organization.
Phillies Select Mickey Moniak With First Overall Pick
The Phillies have made it official, taking high school outfielder Mickey Moniak with the first overall selection of the 2016 draft. That makes him the first draft choice of GM Matt Klentak.
Philadelphia had been connected with several other players in recent months, including southpaws Jason Groome and A.J. Puk. But the rebuilding organization ended up going with the youngster out of Carlsbad, California, as had seemed increasingly likely in recent weeks. He is currently committed to play at UCLA.
Moniak doesn’t wow with off-the-charts physical prowess, but ESPN.com’s Keith Law says he “appears to have the best hit tool in the high school class.” Baseball America and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis join Law in rating Moniak the fifth-best overall talent in the draft.
While some question whether he’ll ever develop significant power to match his 6’2 frame, the evaluators agree that Moniak ought to be capable of manning center field in the long run, with his good wheels aiding him both in the field and on the basepaths. The 18-year-old draws universal praise for his instincts on the field as well as his work ethic.
It seems likely that the Phils are angling to preserve some of their spending power with the choice. That’s not to say that Moniak isn’t a top talent — by all accounts he is. Rather, somewhat like the Astros did in going with Carlos Correa over Byron Buxton back in 2012, the idea would be to take a more affordable player with hopes of adding yet more talent later in the draft. (Lance McCullers, Rio Ruiz, Brett Phillips, and Preston Tucker were among the other early-round choices that year by Houston.)
Philadelphia has $9.015MM to put towards signing Moniak, but it can allocate any savings to other selections. The club’s total pool adds up to just over $13.4MM, ranking second to the Reds — who just top their National League foes thanks to landing the first overall competitive balance Round A selection.
Cubs Acquire Chris Coghlan
The Cubs have brought back veteran infielder/outfielder Chris Coghlan in a trade with the Athletics, per an announcement from Oakland. Young utilityman Arismendy Alcantara will go back in return.
Chicago had shipped Coghlan to the A’s over the winter in exchange for pitcher Aaron Brooks. That move proved to be a precursor to the Cubs’ signing of Dexter Fowler.
In the interim, though, the Cubs lost Kyle Schwarber for the season and recently saw Jorge Soler go down with a hamstring injury of unknown severity. Also hitting the DL with a hammy issue is infielder Tommy La Stella.
Those losses have reduced the club’s depth somewhat, though it still has a nice group of outfield talent in reserve (including just-promoted prospect Albert Almora) as well as a fully healthy infield that includes two outstanding players (Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist) who are also capable of playing in the outfield.
The 30-year-old Coghlan will likely see time at the corner outfield, but has also been an option at second base (where Zobrist is entrenched). He had two highly productive seasons with the Cubs over 2013-14, posting a combined .265/.346/.447 batting line with 25 home runs and 18 steals over 935 plate appearances. Coghlan has scuffled thus far in Oakland with an ugly .146/.215/.272 slash, but those results and eroding plate discipline — he owns an uncharacteristic 27.3% strikeout rate against a diminished 7.6% walk rate — didn’t deter his former club.
There was a time when it would have seemed that Alcantara was the perfect player to plug into just such an opening. A middle infielder by trade, he saw ample time on the outfield grass upon his promotion in 2014. But the 24-year-old has never quite blossomed at the big league level, and wasn’t showing any signs of resolving his strikeout issues at Triple-A.
Still, he’s an interesting wild card for the A’s. Though he’s yet to show consistent on-base skills, Alcantara is generally regarded as a quality fielder and has loud tools on offense, with a history of double-digit home runs and steals. Indeed, over 213 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors this year, he has already swiped twenty bags.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
White Sox Sign Justin Morneau
The White Sox have signed veteran first baseman Justin Morneau, the club announced. It’s a one-year, $1MM contract.
Morneau will head straight onto the 15-day DL as he continues to work back to form after undergoing elbow surgery. His timeline remains unclear at present, but perhaps the club will have a chance to evaluate him before weighing other moves at the trade deadline.
The 34-year-old figures to play a role roughly analogous to what the team had expected from Adam LaRoche, who was a heavily-used DH and also spelled Jose Abreu at first. When LaRoche shocked the baseball world with his sudden retirement this spring, the club saved a boatload of money but also lost a source of left-handed pop (although he had disppointed to that point).
Morneau will step into that void once he’s ready to be activated. While he doesn’t come with the same kind of power ceiling that LaRoche carried — Morneau hasn’t hit more than twenty home runs since 2009 — he’s arguably a better overall hitter and certainly had better results last year.
Though Coors Field certainly provides a boost, Morneau’s .310/.363/.458 slash over 182 plate apperaances last year went for an above-average 109 OPS+. And he was even better the season prior, leading the league in batting average and hitting at a strong .319/.364/.496 clip.
It remains to be seen how much action Morneau will receive in the field, but it doesn’t hurt that he remains well-regarded with the glove. The team will also see how he holds up with a long history of medical concerns even before his recent procedure.
Chicago has been the most aggressive team in the league thus far in making mid-season additions. It already added James Shields, knocking pre-2016 free agent Mat Latos out of the rotation. And now the organization has moved on the free agent market to fill its need for a left-handed bat.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see whether GM Rick Hahn has more acquisitions in mind. There’s been chatter that the South Siders could look at a left-handed reliever, and there are several other positions that are probably susceptible of an upgrade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Yordano Ventura
1:32pm: A source strongly contested the report that Ventura had been shopped, telling MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan that it was “complete and utter nonsense.” GM Dayton Moore declined to address the matter, saying that “it’s highly inappropriate and reckless to discuss any specific trade talks about players with the media.”
Passan, meanwhile, stands by his report, which he says has since been corroborated by additional sources (Twitter link).
8:25am: Last night’s plunking of Manny Machado was the latest in a line of questionable actions from Royals righty Yordano Ventura, and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes that his attitude is wearing thin on the Kansas City organization. Indeed, per the report, executives from at least two other teams say that the Royals have offered to deal Ventura away within the last month.
Expectations had been that the now-25-year-old with the high-octane fastball would be entrenched in the K.C. staff for years to come. After all, the club inked him to a five-year, $23MM extension before the start of the 2015 season. That deal also includes two option years valued at $12MM apiece.
There always seemed to be a bit of injury risk, but otherwise the pact seemed a nice bargain for a quality young arm. While he’s been healthy and still delivers mid-90s heat, however, Ventura has arguably been more provocative than productive on the mound over the last two years.
Ventura took a step back last year in the earned run department, seeing a year-over-year ERA shift from 3.20 to 4.08. But his peripherals all seemed in line with his prior work. It’s been different thus far in 2016, as Ventura has retired just six batters per nine innings via strikeout while issuing free passes at a rate of 4.8 BB/9. He’s allowing less groundballs to go with more contact and home runs. After last night’s outing, Ventura owns a 5.32 ERA in 66 innings over a dozen starts this year.
The extension once seemed an asset, but now may no longer have surplus value. Though we’re now one and a half years into the contract, the vast majority of the guarantee remains to be paid. Ventura has received just over $1MM of what he’s owed so far, with an escalating structure that mimics the arbitration process still to come. And there’s no doubt that other organizations will have concerns about Ventura’s questionable reputation and on-field antics.
It’s not exactly clear what Kansas City would be looking to accomplish via trade. Contenders would certainly hesitate to add Ventura to a rotation, and it’s a big commitment even if a club hoped to utilize his live arm in the pen. A swap that would allow the Royals to fill a need at the major league level without adding payroll could make some sense, though that’s just generalized speculation on my part.
Mets Acquire Kelly Johnson
4:38pm: The Braves sent about $450K to the Mets in the trade as well, tweets the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff. That will help offset the remaining $1.268MM on Johnson’s 2016 contract. The Braves, then, are saving about $818K in the trade.
10:56am: The Mets have officially struck a deal to acquire utilityman Kelly Johnson from the Braves, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com first reported on Twitter. Minor league righty Akeel Morris heading back in return.
New York and Atlanta are division rivals, but that didn’t stop them from linking up last summer on a deal that brought Johnson and fellow veteran Juan Uribe to the Mets. Johnson returned to Atlanta after playing a limited but important role for the eventual National League champs, only to be sent north once again.
The contending Mets have seen some holes open up this year due to injuries. In particular, first baseman Lucas Duda, third baseman David Wright, and catcher Travis d’Arnaud are in various stages of lengthy absences, while outfielder Juan Lagares is limited by a thumb injury.
Johnson, 34, figures to provide a stopgap at any number of positions. Over 11 years with eight organizations, he’s lined up at second base, all four corner infield and outfield spots, and even shortstop (albeit only for one game). The left-handed-hitting Johnson looks like a particularly good fit at third base, where he could share time with Wilmer Flores, though it’s fair to note that Johnson has never carried much of a platoon split.
At his best, Johnson is a reasonably solid defender and an average or better hitter with some pop. The question is how much is left in the bat. Over 132 plate appearances this year, he’s slashed a meager .215/.273/.289 with a single home run. That’s a good ways off of his lifetime .250/.330/.420 slash and double-digit annual long ball output.
In Morris, the Braves are getting a 23-year-old reliever who has just a single MLB appearance under his belt. Heading into 2016, he had posted three straight seasons of sparkling results while steadily climbing the ladder. Over his first 25 1/3 innings this year, all coming at the Double-A level, Morris has surrendered 13 earned runs and issued 16 free passes — though he’s also allowed only 19 hits while racking up 36 strikeouts.
Jon Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that a trade between the teams was close (Twitter link).
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/8/16
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves here:
- The Indians announced that they’ve released righty Jarrett Grube. He had been pitching at Triple-A, but the team says it let him go to pursue another opportunity. (It’s unclear at present just what that might be, though it’s not uncommon for teams to allow players to leave to join ballclubs in Asia.) Grube, 34, has one MLB appearance on his ledger. He turned in a quality campaign for Cleveland’s top affiliate last year, posting a 2.69 ERA over 154 frames, but he’s fallen back in the earned run department in 2016 despite largely maintaining his strikeout-to-walk figures. Over 44 2/3 innings in seven starts and four relief appearances, Grube owns a 4.43 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.