Cherington On Outfield, Drew, Lester, Lackey
The Red Sox currently sit a disappointing six games under .500 and nine back in the AL East. GM Ben Cherington discussed a variety of pertinent topics today, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports (except as otherwise noted below):
- Cherington remains confident in his team’s core, indicating that he expects to rely on in-house options to carry the team back into contention. If they can do that, he said, “we’ll try to find any way we can to make improvements to the team as the summer goes on.” At this point, said Cherington, “typically, you’re sort of talking other teams into doing things, and that doesn’t always leave you in the best position to make deals.”
- If the team were to make an addition in advance of the trade deadline, it would most likely be an outfielder, he told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link). Indeed, the team’s greatest struggles have been in the outfield, which is currently being led by Jonny Gomes‘s .722 OPS. When asked whether Boston has the payroll capacity to add players this year, he made clear that it does, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (via Twitter).
- Cherington affirmed that Jackie Bradley Jr. is the team’s center fielder. “[H]e’s playing really good defense, he’s grinding, he’s making offensive adjustments,” said Cherington. “He’s a very important guy for us and we feel he’s the right guy to be our center fielder.” The GM was somewhat less sanguine about Grady Sizemore, saying that he “hasn’t made the impact as he’d like to.”
- Cherington strongly disputed the notion that the club was forced by public pressure into signing Stephen Drew. “We signed Stephen Drew because I made a recommendation to ownership to sign Stephen Drew,” he said. “It happened to be that [Will Middlebrooks] got hurt. Stephen Drew was still out there, he was a free agent, and we felt like, if we didn’t sign him, we might be in position to have to make a trade at some point and give up talent to address, potentially an area of need … .”
- He also said that the team has not entertained any thoughts of dealing away staff ace and pending free agent Jon Lester if the team cannot get back in the mix. “Our position hasn’t changed,” said Cherington. “We hope to have a conversation again about his contract. We’d love to find a way to keep him here [past this year]. … [W]e’re going to want Jon Lester pitching for us down the stretch.”
- Finally, Cherington addressed the question whether fellow starter John Lackey might retire rather than playing next season for the league minimum option that the club picked up due to the time he’s missed due to injury. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” he said, “and obviously our expectation is that he’s going to be here.”
Braves Expected To Shop For Bullpen Help
The Braves could be lining up some changes to their pitching staff over the coming months, according to a report from David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A set-up man, in particular another lefty, could be on the team’s wish list at the trade deadline.
Atlanta has not received quite the performances it was hoping for out of some of its middle relievers, as David Carpenter, Luis Avilan (the team’s primary lefty), Ian Thomas, and Gus Schlosser have all posted earned run averages of greater than four per nine. (The latter two are currently working at Triple-A.) Avilan, in particular, has scuffled (including a troubling 4.9 BB/9), and fellow southpaw Alex Wood is heading back down to Triple-A to stretch out again as a starter. The team will hope that recent call-up Shae Simmons can continue his strong start, that Jordan Walden maintains his health, and that Carpenter can regain his form. But none of those arms provide a true alternative to Avilan, and an addition could firm things up and free Wood and perhaps David Hale to work from the rotation.
O’Brien also notes that the club may consider dealing from its rotation, possibly as part of the effort to add to the pen. He says that the team could dangle either Gavin Floyd or Aaron Harang, opining that the former could be the more likely candidate. Of course, while the team does have some depth, O’Brien notes that it may be hesitant to thin the rotation ranks too much — though Wood is certainly more valuable as a starter.
Indeed, it seems like a rather unlikely outcome for Atlanta to flip a starter for relief help. Most hypothetical trade partners that would be willing to part with a quality reliever would presumably not be interested in adding a veteran on an expiring contract. Should the Braves look to add a southpaw to the pen, there appear to be a few likely sellers with decent left handed relief options that could be shopped, such as the Cubs (Wesley Wright and James Russell), Padres (Alex Torres and Troy Patton), Diamondbacks (Oliver Perez and Joe Thatcher), and Astros (Darin Downs and Tony Sipp).
Marlins Agree To Below-Slot Bonus With Blake Anderson
The Marlins have agreed to a below-slot bonus with compensation round A selection Blake Anderson, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). Anderson will take home $1.17MM, about $400K less than the $1.574MM slot value at the 36th overall pick.
Anderson is a right-handed swinging high school catcher out of Mississippi. As Kiley McDaniel of Scout.com noted (via Twitter), four or five teams liked Anderson quite a bit, while the industry consensus did not see him as a premium prospect. McDaniel notes that he did not land within the list of the top 291 players that he compiled. Likewise, MLB.com did not place him among the draft’s top 200 prospects while ESPN.com’s Keith Law did not include him in his top 100 list.
Baseball America, on the other hand, did include Anderson as the 216th-best available draftee. He is said to have a strong arm behind the dish and good enough athleticism that he could stay there in spite of being a relatively tall 6’4. On the other hand, scouts were concerned with his bat speed and are not overly excited with his power potential.
Miami will surely look to apply the savings from Anderson’s signing towards one or more of the other high schoolers that the team selected early on in the draft. In addition to second overall choice Tyler Kolek, a power prep righty, the Fish own the rights to 43rd overall selection Justin Twine, a Texas high school shortstop, and four other younger draftees taken in the first ten rounds. Miami has the draft’s highest overall available pool, at $14.2MM.
Minor Moves: Jason Lane, Mike MacDougal
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves here …
- The Padres have outrighted lefty Jason Lane, according to the PCL transactions page. Lane, an outfielder-turned-hurler who just returned to the bigs seven seasons after his last tour, was designated for assignment on Saturday.
- Righty Mike MacDougal was released by the Mariners, also via the PCL transactions page. The 37-year-old righty carries an 8.25 ERA through 12 innings for Triple-A Tacoma. He last threw in the bigs in 2012, and owns a lifetime 4.00 ERA through 394 MLB frames over parts of 12 seasons.
- Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, the following players have yet to have their situations resolved: Jordan Pacheco (Rockies), David Huff (Giants), Jason Kubel (Twins), Trevor Cahill (Diamondbacks), and Wilton Lopez (Rockies).
Rockies Agree To Below-Slot Bonus With Kyle Freeland
6:48pm: The bonus will land at $2.3MM, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). That means that Colorado will save about $890K to put towards other choices.
As Callis explains (Twitter links), Freeland ended up in a difficult bargaining position due to a high school medical report that contained speculation about possible elbow issues. In spite of that loss of leverage, Callis notes, Freeland still ended up with at least mid-first-round money.
6:19pm: The Rockies have reached agreement with first-rounder and eight overall choice Kyle Freeland, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com (via Twitter). He reportedly will take hom a bonus of approximately $2.5MM, significantly below his slot allocation of $3.19MM.
Freeland, a lefty from Colorado who played college ball for the University of Evansville, was said to have raised medical concerns from some clubs prior to the draft. Nevertheless, he landed at fifth on Baseball America’s list of the top draft prospects and was rated seventh by MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo. (He slid to 19th on ESPN.com’s Keith Law’s final prospect ranking,)
The lean southpaw has plus-plus command, in BA’s estimation, and has moved his heater into the low to mid-90s. His secondary offerings are led by a mid-80s slider and also include an average curve and decent change. Though Law notes that Freeland did not face top-end competition in college, he did put up a ridiculous 15:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year. While Law rejects the comparison, Freeland has’s body type has led to comparisons to Chris Sale. And as with Sale when he was a draft prospect, some have expressed concern that he’s ultimately ticketed for the bullpen.
Colorado entered the draft with about $8.35MM in achievable pool money from the first ten rounds. The club was aggressive with taking high school prospects elsewhere in the early stages of the draft, nabbing Forrest Wall at 35th overall, Ryan Castellani at the 48th slot, and Kevin Padlo an Max George with its fifth and sixth-round choices. The Rockies will now have about $690K extra to play with in signing those players.
Mariners Sign Gareth Morgan
6:34pm: The Mariners have agreed to bonuses with their fourth through tenth round picks that, in total, have saved them $1,253,500, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). That obviously accounts for essentially all of the overage on Morgan, though Seattle would be back to even as it negotiates with Jackson.
6:01pm: Morgan has agreed to a $2MM bonus, Elliott reports on Twitter. Needless to say, that level of commitment will require Seattle to produce savings elsewhere, as it lands $1.24MM over slot.
The Mariners entered the draft with a total potential pool of about $6.77MM. The bulk of that is attributable to the club’s first pick (6th overall), which came with a slot allotment of $3.575MM. Seattle took high school outfielder Alex Jackson with that choice. Five of the team’s picks from the first ten rounds were college seniors, which could allow for savings, though just one of those — the fourth-round pick (Ryan Yarbrough) — came with a pool share of over $200K.
5:55pm: The Mariners have signed compensation round B choice Gareth Morgan, reports Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle (via Twitter). Morgan was taken with the 74th overall choice, which carries a slot allocation of $760K.
Though terms have yet to be reported, Morgan was said to be seeking a seven-figure bonus before the draft, reports Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said that the club “see[s] him as a high upside kid who has a very nice profile and skill set.”
Morgan is a high school outfielder from Ontario. He was rated as the 84th-best prospect by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, who cite his raw power while raising questions about his hit tool. ESPN.com’s Keith Law (44th) and Baseball America (65th) both had Morgan higher on their boards.
Rays Sign Casey Gillaspie
6:19pm: The Rays have announced the signing, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).
2:40pm: The Rays are closing in on a deal with first-rounder Casey Gillaspie, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). Gillaspie will earn the full $2.035MM slot bonus associated with the 20th overall choice.
Gillaspie, a first baseman with Wichita State, is the younger brother of White Sox infielder Conor Gillaspie. Rating him as the 25th-best player available, MLB.com wrote that the younger Gillaspie offers pop and patience from both sides of the plate. He is regarded as a solid defender, but is not expected to move off first base. Baseball America rated the former Shocker at #29, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law had him much further down on his board (52nd).
Tampa came into the draft with a relatively meager $5.85MM total pool. None of Tampa’s other choices (it next picked at 60th overall) came with a seven-figure allotment. The Rays chose three high-schoolers and one first-year JuCo player with their next four picks, and ended the draft’s second day with four straight college seniors.
Jurickson Profar Switches Representation
Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar has elected to hire the Boras Corporation, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). He was previously represented by Pro Star Management.
Profar, 21, entered last season as the game’s consensus top overall prospect. He scuffled somewhat in his first sustained MLB action, hitting only .234/.308/.336 in 324 plate appearances, but was nevertheless expected to take the everyday job at second base after the Rangers dealt away Ian Kinsler. But ongoing right shoulder issues, including a recent setback, have conspired to keep Profar off the field in 2014.
Profar entered this season with 167 days of MLB service. Since he will accrue a full year of service time on the DL this year, Profar is almost certain to reach Super Two eligibility in 2016, provided he stays on the active roster for all of next season.
Astros To Sign A.J. Reed
TODAY: Reed will receive the full slot value of $1.35MM, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
YESTERDAY: The Astros have agreed to terms with second-round choice A.J. Reed, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (via Twitter). Reed says that he will formally sign on Wednesday.
Though the terms of the bonus were not disclosed, Reed — a junior first baseman from the University of Kentucky — was chosen with the 42nd overall pick, which comes with a $1.35MM slot value (via Baseball America). That was precisely where he should have been taken, according to the talent rankings of ESPN.com’s Keith Law (who placed him at 42nd overall) and Baseball America (41st).
MLB.com was even more bullish on Reed, saying that he offers a rare combination of consistent contact and real pop at the plate. He is regarded as a strong defender, though he lacks the foot speed to play off of first. Reed is also an accomplished collegiate pitcher, but profiles to carry much more value off the mound.
Cubs Release Jose Veras
June 10: Veras has been released, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
June 3: The Cubs have designated reliever Jose Veras for assignment, tweets Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. The 33-year-old veteran was signed to serve as Chicago’s closer after the Tigers declined to pick up his club option.
Veras represents a fairly significant miss for the Cubs front office. He was given a $4MM guarantee, including this year’s salary and a $150K buyout for a 2015 club option at $5.5MM. In addition to putting a consistent presence at the back of the bullpen, the Cubs no doubt considered the possibility of dangling Veras at the trade deadline.
But that was not to be. Across 13 1/3 innings on the season, Veras has worked to a 8.10 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 7.4 BB/9. Adding injury to insult, he then missed 17 games with an oblique strain. But Veras was actually much better upon his return from the DL. Since May 15, he has thrown 7 2/3 innings and allowed just two earned runs and a walk while setting down eight batters on strikes.