Twins, Gibson Still Far Apart In Negotiations
The Twins and first round pick Kyle Gibson are "about a million dollars apart in their negotiations," according to ESPN's Keith Law. Gibson suffered a stress fracture in his pitching arm right before the draft, but the bone has healed and he's been throwing for about three weeks now.
Selected 22nd overall, Gibson was considered a potential top ten pick before his injury. MLB's recommended slot bonus for the 22nd overall pick is roughy $1.29MM, and a seven figure gap in negotiations is pretty significant with less than three days until the signing deadline.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Nationals, Padres, Hardy, Smoltz
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dig in for some rumory goodness…
- This coming week may the biggest week in Nationals' history. In addition to Monday's midnight deadline to sign first overall pick Stephen Strasburg, the Nats could pick their next general manager as early as Tuesday.
- "The buzz in scouting circles" is that Diamondbacks executive Jerry DiPoto is the frontrunner for the job, but the team has given "absolutely no indication of its plans." Acting GM Mike Rizzo has "generally gotten good reviews."
- The Padres put both Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell on trade waivers Friday. Both are likely to be claimed, but don't count on either getting traded. The team says that the Jake Peavy trade has greatly reduced the pressure on them to move either Gonzalez or Bell.
- If either player is going to be moved, it would most likely happen in the offseason when the Padres could negotiate will all 29 other teams.
- If shortstop J.J. Hardy stays in Triple-A for more than 20 days, he'll remain under the Brewers control for two more years instead of one. Such a move would enhance Hardy's trade value, and it would be tough for him to argue it's unfair given his lack of production this year. However, if service time was an issue, the club should have demoted him a lot sooner.
- Marlins righty Anibal Sanchez was throwing 90-94 in his most recent rehab start, and his return would lessen the pressure on some of the team's other young starters.
- The Marlins and Cardinals are among the teams looking at John Smoltz as a reliever. The Cards are also looking at a number of other righthanded options for their bullpen.
Rangers Looking For Catching
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com is reporting that the Rangers have contacted several clubs in search of catching help, according to a major league source. Texas lost regular backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the disabled list when he left Friday's game with numbess in his right hand, and Rosenthal hears from a source that he may have a nerve issue.
Henry Blanco of the Padres could be one possibility, but Rosenthal says the "team is considering a number of other alternatives as well."
Rays Sign Todd Glaesmann
ESPN's Keith Law reports that the Rays have signed third-rounder Todd Glaesmann to a $930K bonus. The 108th overall pick received more than three times MLB's recommended slot bonus of approximately $290K. Now that the high school outfielder from Waco, Texas has agreed to terms, Tampa has signed their third- through ninth-round picks.
KLaw mentions that the team is unlikely to come to terms with second-rounder Kenny Diekroger, who has a strong commitment to Stanford.
Dodgers Sign Second Rounder Garrett Gould
9:37pm: Gurnick says he'll receive a $900K bonus.
5:36pm: Ken Gurnick of MLB.com is reporting that the Dodgers have signed second rounder Garrett Gould. The exact dollar figure isn't known yet, but MLB's recommended bonus for the 65th overall pick is around $563K. Gould, a 6'-4" righthander from a Kansas high school, was a borderline first round talent who slipped because of bonus demands.
With the signing, the Dodgers have now inked their top ten picks.
Odds & Ends: Bedard, Rays, Hall, Brewers
A few more loose links I rounded up…
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that he "has not ruled out offering some type of extension deal to injured pitcher Erik Bedard." Of course, the club will monitor Bedard's recovery from shoulder surgery before doing anything.
- The Rays have signed fourth rounder Luke Bailey for $750K according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Bailey was arguably the top high school catcher in the draft, but he blew out his elbow in the spring and needed Tommy John surgery.
- The Cincinnati Enquirer's Tom Groeschen mentions that the Reds have interest in infielder Bill Hall, who was DFA'd by the Brewers earlier this week.
- According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, the Brewers "appear headed toward a deal with their highest remaining unsigned selection, University of Tennessee outfielder Kentrail Davis." A month ago we heard that negotiations between the two sides had "gotten ugly." McCalvy also mentions that the Crew signed 5th rounder D'Vontrey Richardson and 15th rounder Del Howell.
- Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says the Mariners "may be on the brink of agreement with high school outfielder Nick Franklin." Seattle selected Frankin 27th overall, and LaRue notes that he'll take a physical tomorrow.
- Jack Etkin of Inside The Rockies reports that the team has released veteran reliever Mike Timlin. Timlin preferred to be home with his wife and children rather than go out on a road trip with the Triple-A Colorado Springs. The move was not performance related and there were no hard feelings on either side.
- The Nationals have signed eighth rounder Roberto Perez, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladsen. The Nats have now signed 10 of their top 12 picks, but they're still waiting on the big guy at the top.
Doug Davis Looking For A Three Year Deal
According to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, southpaw Doug Davis is looking for a three year contract, something he's already presented to the Diamondbacks.
"I'm still looking for the three-year deal I was looking for two months ago," Davis said. "If I can't come to terms on that then I'll test the free agent market."
Gilbert says the club seems to prefer a one year deal with a club option, especially since they figure this year's free agent class will play out like last year's. Davis is going to remain in Arizona the rest of the season after the Brewers and D-Backs were unable to consummate a deal earlier deadline.
Davis is 7-10 with a 3.62 ERA this year, but he leads the National League with 73 walks.
Red Sox Agree To Terms With David Renfroe
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that the Red Sox have agreed to terms with third round pick David Renfroe on a $1.4MM deal. A star quarterback in high school, Renfroe's bonus will be spread over five years under MLB's provisions for two sport athletes. Callis says the net present value of the deal is under the $1.134MM Boston gave first rounder Reymond Fuentes.
Selected 107th overall, the deal is worth considerably more than MLB's slot recommendation of $294,300. Callis says Renfroe is "a polished hitter with solid power and a plus arm that delivered fastballs that topped out at 95 mph."
Diamondbacks Sign Bobby Borchering
6:59pm: Gilbert tweets that Borchering signed for $1.8MM, so he got a couple hundred grand over slot.
6:30pm: The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with first round pick Bobby Borchering, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but D-Backs scouting director Tom Allison told reporters earlier in the week "that the club had improved its offer from $1.5 million," but did not reveal specifics. The $1.5MM offer is essentially slot money.
Borchering is a switch hitting third baseman with power out of a Florida high school.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, White Sox, Rangers
Here's a few links to the get night started right…
- Ben Goessling of The Washington Times reports that a "club source said managing principal owner Ted Lerner, team president Stan Kasten and acting general manager Mike Rizzo all flew to California last week to visit with (Stephen) Strasburg." It is unknown if Scott Boras was part of the meeting, or if Strasburg took the physical necessary to sign a Major League contract.
- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that Erik Bedard had his "bursa debrided & labrum repaired" when he underwent shoulder surgery. He can resume baseball activity in 4-6 months, right in the middle of his impending free agency.
- Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune writes about the payroll challenges facing White Sox GM Kenny Williams in 2010. The team has $68.3MM tied up in ten players next year - including the recently acquired Jake Peavy and Alex Rios – and will owe considerable raises to Carlos Quentin and John Danks, both of whom are arbitration eligible for the first time. Gonzales says that "probably means the Sox will listen to offers for closer Bobby Jenks."
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that Rangers first round pick Matt Purke is in town for a physical, but no deal is imminent. The club just wants to get that part of signing process out of the way because negotiations might go down to the wire. GM Jon Daniels said "They are where you would expect them to be. We still have a gap, a divide, to bridge. That's not unusual three days before the deadline. They have been amicable discussions. He agreed to submit to the physical and get that completed just to get it behind us so we can focus on negotiations. We don't want any hurdles if we negotiate late."
- In news that involves players who have actually signed, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that the Rangers have inked 14th rounder Chad Bell to a $450K bonus. He's the third player Texas has signed for more than MLB's recommended $150K maximum after the fifth round.
- Chad Jennings of The Times Tribune mentions that Josh Towers is expected to return to the Triple-A Scranton rotation next week. The Yankees DFA'd Towers last weekend, but he apparently declined to become a free agent in favor of having a job.