Three Bidders Remain For Padres
Three bidders remain for the Padres and owner John Moores could select a buyer by late next week, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One of the three groups is led by former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley while the other two hail from Southern California as well. One is described as a businessman, the other a private equity investor.
A fourth bidder was recently eliminated after failing to meet the asking price. That group — led by Thomas Tull, the CEO of Legendary Pictures — included long-time Padre and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The sale price is expected to be at least $800MM, broken down into $600MM for the team and $200MM for part of the team’s equity stake in FOX Sports San Diego.
If a buyer is picked next week, an agreement could be in place by the All-Star break and the sale could close by August. That would afford the new owner the opportunity to work with the team's front office prior to the trade deadline.
Draft Signings: Beck, Thompson, Copeland, Renda
In a Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Keith Law listed some interesting names for the 2013 draft. College players like Austin Wilson and Ryne Stanek headline the crop along with high schoolers Austin Meadows and Clinton Hollon. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here are the latest miscellaneous signings from this year's class…
- The White Sox have signed second rounder Chris Beck for $600K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Full slot value for the right-hander from Georgia Southern was $670K.
- In addition to Beck, the White Sox have agreed to terms with 23 other draft picks according to a release. Fourth rounder Brandon Brennan highlights the list.
- The Tigers have signed second rounder Jake Thompson for a straight slot $532K bonus, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school right-hander from Texas was Detroit's top pick after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Prince Fielder.
- The Nationals announced the signing of 23 draft picks in a press release, including second rounder Tony Renda and fourth rounder Brandon Miller.
- The Rays have signed third rounder Bralin Jackson for $325K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school outfielder from Missouri was slotted for a $216K bonus.
- The Marlins have signed supplemental third rounder Kolby Copeland for a straight slot $367K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The pick was compensation for failing to sign the previous year's third rounder. Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA first reported the news (on Twitter).
- The Twins have signed fifth rounder Tyler Duffey, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick is $267K.
- The Astros have signed five more draft picks according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter), including sixth rounder Brett Phillips.
Tigers Sign Cesar Carrillo
Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here.
- The Tigers have signed right-hander Cesar Carrillo according to Brian Britten, the team's director of media relations (on Twitter). The 28-year-old spent part of last season with an independent league team. Carrillo was once considered a top prospect in the Padres' system, and his only big league experience came with them in 2009 — 13.06 ERA in three starts.
Giants Sign Chris Stratton
9:13pm: Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Stratton received the full $1.85MM slot bonus.
8:59pm: The Giants have signed first round pick Chris Stratton according to the MLB Draft Twitter feed. The team confirmed the signing in a press release. He was the 20th overall selection, which carries a slot value of $1.85MM according to Baseball America.
Stratton, 22, fell just short of qualifying as a draft-eligible sophomore for last summer's draft. Baseball America says the right-hander from Mississippi State can run his fastball up to 95 while mixing in both a slider and curveball.
Red Sox Close To Signing Tzu-Wei Lin
The Red Sox are close to signing 18-year-old Taiwanese shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin for $2.05MM, reports Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. The deal is not yet complete but the two sides are in "final stages of an agreement."
Lin reportedly signed with the Yankees for six figures as a 16-year-old back in 2010, but the deal was later ruled invalid. MLB.com ranked Lin as the 18th best international free agent on the market, describing him as a "smaller version of Rays prospect Hak-Ju Lee." The $2.05MM bonus would be a record for a Taiwanese position player.
Rockies Sign Eddie Butler
The Rockies have signed supplemental first round selection Eddie Butler for $1MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. Slot money for the pick was approximately $1.11MM. Butler, a right-handed pitcher out of Radford, was selected with the compensation pick Colorado received for Mark Ellis, #46 overall.
Blue Jays Release Vladimir Guerrero
The Blue Jays have released Vladimir Guerrero at his request, the team announced. The 37-year-old outfielder issued the team an ultimatum earlier today, and they decided to release him rather than call him up the big leagues. Bean Stringfellow, Vlad's agent, said his client is not retiring and will seek employment elsewhere.
Soon after joining the Blue Jays' organization, Guerrero hit four homers in four games at Class A Dunedin. He was then promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he collected four hits last night after a slow start. Guerrero has 2,590 hits, 449 homers and a .318/.379/.553 line in 16 big league seasons. In 590 plate appearances with the Orioles last year, the nine-time All-Star posted a .290/.317/.416 line with 13 homers. He drew interest from the Diamondbacks, Indians and Marlins earlier this year.
Draft Signings: Mathisen, Maxwell, Cardinals
Here are Saturday's notable non-first round draft pick signings…
- The Pirates have agreed to sign second rounder Wyatt Mathisen according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Sulia). Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects first reported the agreement. The high school catcher from Texas was the 69th overall pick, which carries a slot value of $746K.
- The Athletics have signed second rounder Bruce Maxwell for a below slot $770K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The college bat was slotted for $831K. Maxwell is represented by Matt Sosnick and Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
- In addition to first rounder Stryker Trahan, the Diamondbacks announced that they've agreed to terms with 30 other draft picks. Second rounder Jose Munoz and third rounder Jake Barrett highlight the crop. The Arizona Republic has the full list.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (on Twitter) that the D'Backs gave ninth rounder Jeff Gibbs a $90K bonus plus college tuition. Callis reports (on Twitter) that they gave fourth rounder Charles Taylor a $250K bonus. Slot money for those two picks is $125K and $286K, respectively.
- The Cardinals have signed third rounder Tim Cooney for a straight slot $404K bonus, reports Callis (on Twitter). The left-hander hails from Wake Forest.
- The Mariners have agreed to terms with fourth rounder Patrick Kivlehan, reports MLB.com's Josh Liebeskind. Slot money for the Rutgers third baseman is $353K. Seattle also signed 12th rounder Mike Faulkner for $100K according to Callis (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox have signed their fifth through tenth round draft picks according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. All six players are college seniors.
- The Royals have signed sixth rounder Zach Lovvorn for $275K, reports Callis (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick was $194K.
- The Astros announced the signing of eight more picks, including ninth rounder Daniel Minor. Houston has now signed 18 picks total according to the release.
- The Phillies have signed tenth rounder Kevin Brady for a straight slot $125K bonus according to Callis (on Twitter). The right-hander is out of Clemson.
Marlins Designate Donnie Murphy For Assignment
The Marlins have designated Donnie Murphy for assignment, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). The 29-year-old utility infielder hit .136/.250/.318 in 52 plate appearances coming into today. He's hit .196/.266/.366 in 563 career plate appearances with the Marlins, Royals, and Athletics.
Yankees Not Looking For Outfield Help
Left fielder Brett Gardner has played just nine games this season due to a right elbow strain, and today he suffered a setback that will likely keep him out through the All-Star break. Despite that, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including Chad Jennings of The Journal News) that he hasn't looked into trading for outfield help just yet.
“I haven’t been looking,” said Cashman. “That doesn’t mean that (it’s out of the question). Now you’ve passed the draft, people will be more interested in having conversations. I have not had any conversations with anybody about anything.”
The Yankees have primarily used Raul Ibanez in left during Gardner's absence, though Andruw Jones, Jayson Nix, Eduardo Nunez, and Dewayne Wise have all seen time out there as well. Depending on how Gardner's visit with Dr. James Andrews goes on Monday, the Yankees could either remain patient or be pressed into aggressively scouring the trade market. The outfield market figures to be highlighted by Carlos Quentin and Josh Willingham this year.