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Latest On July 2 Players

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The July 2nd international signing period is less than two months away.  Every team had a $2.9MM bonus pool for 2012-13, but as Baseball America's Ben Badler outlined here, the 2013-14 pools "will be tiered based on reverse order of 2012 major league winning percentage."  The Astros, Cubs, and Rockies each have at least $4.2MM to spend, plus teams can trade for additional money.  The Twins, Indians, Marlins, and Red Sox each have more than $3MM to spend, while the Royals and Blue Jays are close to that figure. Badler has the latest on ten prospects who are expected to sign for at least $1MM apiece.

  • The highest bonus is likely to go to Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez, potentially $2.6-2.8MM with the Cubs as the "heavy favorite."  The Cubs are also the frontrunners to sign one of the top Venezuelan players, shortstop Gleyber Torres.
  • Dominican third baseman Rafael Devers "might be the best hitter on the international market," writes Badler.  He's the primary target of the Red Sox.  Another contender for the best bat is third baseman Luis Encarnacion, who is most likely to sign with the Phillies.
  • The Yankees are the most likely suitor for Leonardo Molina, perhaps the best athlete in the class.  He can sign when he turns 16 on August 1st.  The Yankees' preliminary bonus pool is reportedly $1,877,900.
  • The biggest raw power belongs to Dominican outfielder Micker Zapata, who has been connected to the White Sox and Padres.
  • Badler's article has much more information, so be sure to give it a click and a read.

No Contract Between Ducks, Zambrano Yet

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May 13: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports writes that Zambrano's name still doesn't appear on the Ducks' roster. Zambrano and the Ducks did indeed reach an agreement, according to Knobler's sources, but a contract has yet to be signed.

May 8: Righty Carlos Zambrano has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, tweets Chris Cotillo of CLNS Radio.  MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has confirmed the signing (also via Twitter).

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As Ducks president and GM Michael Pfaff recently explained to MLBTR's Zach Links, the team prioritizes winning but wants to "help players with their careers, help them continue their careers, and help them get back to the major leagues."  That's surely Zambrano's plan.  The 31-year-old righty joined the Marlins via trade in January 2012, posting a 4.49 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 5.1 BB/9, 0.61 HR/9, and 49.1% groundball rate in 132 1/3 innings (20 starts and 15 relief appearances).  Zambrano, a three-time All-Star, was a workhorse for the Cubs from 2003-07, averaging 215 innings per season.  

From the '07 fight with teammate Michael Barrett, the five-year, $91.5MM contract signed that year, all kinds of odd ailments, the no-hitter in '08 against the Astros at Miller Park, the '09 on-field tantrum that led to a six-game suspension, problems with Cubs management, the move to the bullpen and back, the issue with Derrek Lee in '10 that led to a team-mandated suspension, his placement on the disqualified list in '11, to the salary dump trade to Miami, Z's final years as a Cub were tumultuous to say the least.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Baseball Trade Rumors iPhone/iPad App

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Want to stay up-to-date on all the rumors and transactions involving your favorite team or player?  At the office, you can simply pull up MLBTradeRumors.com and refresh constantly, with your fingers on alt-tab as you read so you can bounce to a spreadsheet when your boss walks by (unless your boss is a baseball fan).  But what about when you're in a meeting or at lunch?  You need our Baseball Trade Rumors iPhone/iPad app!

For less than the cost of that lunch, just $2.99, the Baseball Trade Rumors iPhone/iPad app can be yours for life, including future upgrades.  The app presents all of the latest MLBTR stories, ad-free and mobile friendly, with the ability to filter by teams or transactions.  You can also enjoy custom push notifications, where you select your favorite teams and/or players and receive alerts when new stories are posted including them. 

Not an Apple person?  Check out our Android app instead.

Free $400 Fantasy Baseball Contest From DraftStreet

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Pick one player from each of eight tiers and you've got a shot at part of the $400 prize pool in DraftStreet's latest MLBTR freeroll!  You've got nothing to lose by signing up and making your picks, as this game has no entry fee.  You'll be competing based on the stats your eight players accumulate in Friday's night games. 

My team leans toward multi-talented offensive players who can steal a few bases, such as Ryan Braun, Chase Headley, Andrew McCutchen, Austin Jackson, and Alex Rios.  I also made sure not to get drawn in by small samples – Josh Willingham has big power, even if he hasn't shown it in May.  Let us know about your strategy in the comments.  Check out the scoring categories in the rules section.  A screenshot of my roster:

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Take five minutes to make your picks for Friday's games, and you've got a shot at the $400 prize pool!  Registration closes at 6pm central time on Friday.  Please note that this post is a paid advertisement by DraftStreet.

Minor Moves: Gonzalez, Wood, Red Sox

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Today's minor moves…

  • The Yankees have acquired minor league shortstop Alberto Gonzalez from the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, tweets Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Gonzalez, who first appeared in the big leagues with the Yankees back in 2007, has seen limited MLB action over the last two years for Texas and Chicago. Over 989 career plate appearances, he has a .241/.279/.319 line.
  • The Orioles acquired third baseman Brandon Wood from the Royals for cash considerations, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Wood will report to Triple-A Norfolk.  The 28-year-old is hitting .264/.304/.396 in 56 Triple-A plate appearances.  Wood, then with the Angels, was ranked as the third-best prospect in baseball after the '06 season by Baseball America, which said he profiled as a perennial All-Star.  He's received 751 big league plate appearances with the Angels and Pirates, posting a .186/.225/.289 line.
  • The Red Sox will promote reliever Jose De La Torre, GM Ben Cherington said today on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show.  The Red Sox transferred reliever Joel Hanrahan, who has at least a flexor muscle strain, to the 60-day DL to open a 40-man roster spot for De La Torre.
  • Kyle Kaminska, a righty who was with Boston's High A affiliate, has retired according to Evan Lepler on his MLB.com blog.  The 24-year-old had joined the organization in December as the player to be named later in the Zach Stewart deal with Pittsburgh.

Astros Release Rick Ankiel

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The Astros released outfielder Rick Ankiel, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.  The team had designated him for assignment Monday.

Ankiel, 33, had an all-or-nothing approach this year that led to five home runs and 35 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances.  A former second-round pick of the Cardinals, Ankiel finished second in the 2000 Rookie of the Year voting as a pitcher but later reinvented himself as a slugging outfielder in 2007.  A left-handed hitter, he has a career slugging percentage of .445 against righties.

We're still awaiting word on outfielder Fernando Martinez, who was designated by the Astros at the same time as Ankiel.

Draft Notes: Mock Draft, Team Preferences

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The MLB draft is less than a month away, with the Astros, Cubs, Rockies, Twins, and Indians taking the first five picks.  The latest:

  • Stanford righty Mark Appel, Oklahoma righty Jonathan Gray, San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant, prep righty Kohl Stewart, and Nevada righty Braden Shipley are the first five picks in Jim Callis' first mock draft for Baseball America, in which he takes a stab at the entire first round.  The article is chock full of great info.
  • Callis hears rumors that the Twins could cut a deal with high school catcher Reese McGuire at #4, spending heavily further down in the draft.
  • The Twins, Indians, and Royals are searching for pitching, writes Callis.  The Mets "appear to be targeting college bats."
  • In case you missed it, Kiley McDaniel of Scout.com posted his first mock draft Tuesday.
  • More clubs are drafting for organizational need these days, writes ESPN's Jason Churchill, which could lead to a first round "dominated by hitters."

Relief Trade Candidates

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The Cardinals and Red Sox are among the contenders who may be looking for relief help come July.  Others with bullpen issues at least have designs on contending, even if they're under .500.  Here's a look at some relievers who might be available this summer:

A few of these teams might hang on as fringe contenders, others could hang on to their better relievers for credibility's sake, and some may prefer to retain those who are under control beyond 2013 such as Cishek, Gregerson, Dunn, Russell, Lindstrom, and Thornton.  Russell, a lefty with the Cubs, could have particular appeal because he is under team control through 2015 and has been successful so far.

MLBTR Mailbag: Cardinals, Dodgers, Cano

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I answered over forty questions in Tuesday's hourlong chat; here are a few I didn't get to.

What will the Cardinals' trade deadline look like? – Jordon

The clear starting point is the team's bullpen, which lost closer Jason Motte and has been the worst in the league by measure of ERA.  However, if you look at the pen's current composition, the Cards are strong at the back end with Edward Mujica and Trevor Rosenthal, they have a credible lefty matchup guy in Randy Choate, and it'll be interesting to see what Carlos Martinez can do.  Two months from now, when most trades are happening, I'm not convinced anything will need to be done.  It'd be nice to acquire a shortstop, but the market is light on obvious trade candidates.  Perhaps Yunel Escobar of the Rays will be available, but he's playing terribly so far.  One intriguing name to watch is the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, but only if they decide to blow it all up and he's willing to approve the trade.

How deep are the Dodgers' pockets? Any chance they take on some hefty salary for players like Cliff Lee? – Derk McCaw

We don't know the Dodgers' limitations, but I imagine they'll willing to add to their record payroll during the season.  Of course, the team is in last place, having dropped its last seven.  If the team can tread water until Zack Greinke and Hanley Ramirez return in June, GM Ned Colletti could have a month to evaluate whether his team has any shot at contention.  Aside from Lee, big-name targets could include Chase Utley, David Price, Jake Peavy, and Matt Garza.

What does Robinson Cano sign for? – Ryan

Once the 2013 season ends, it will have been almost two years since Scott Boras brokered a nine-year, $214MM deal for Prince Fielder with the Tigers.  Fielder was 28 in the first year of his new deal, while Cano will be 31.  Even though Cano is no longer represented by Boras, and is older than Fielder was, that contract has to be a point of reference and something CAA and Jay-Z will look to exceed, whether with the Yankees or on the open market.

I think if he continues to pitch well, Ervin Santana is a possible qualifying offer.  KC would probably be willing to overpay for one year to buy time for Duffy and Paulino rehab or Ventura and/or Zimmer to develop, right? – Fred

Should Santana's strong work continue, there's a good chance the Royals make a qualifying offer (which will potentially be around $14MM).  They already showed a willingness to pay him $12MM coming off a season in which he posted a 5.16 ERA and allowed 39 home runs.  That would be somewhat separate from an attempt to sign him, however, because I imagine he'd decline the offer in search of a multiyear deal.  That can be risky, as Kyle Lohse showed us, but Santana is younger and the market for pitching seems weaker.

What call-up has the most impact in 2013? - morF tnemmoC

If we're talking only about players called up midseason, my early vote goes to Reds starter Tony Cingrani, who has a 2.63 ERA filling in for Johnny Cueto and might be good enough to push Mike Leake to a bullpen role when Cueto returns.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Roberto Hernandez

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Fausto Carmona was a revelation in 2007 with the Indians, his first season as a starter in the Majors.  He tied for tenth in the AL with 215 regular season innings, tacking on another 15 in the postseason.  He finished second in all of baseball with a 64.3% groundball rate, allowing only 16 home runs on the season en route to a 3.06 ERA.  The campaign earned Carmona a fourth-place Cy Young finish, and the Indians locked up the supposed 24-year-old to a four-year deal with three club options in April the following year.

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A hip strain cut Carmona's 2008 season short, and in June of the following year a 7.42 ERA across a dozen starts earned him a demotion to the rookie-level Arizona Summer League – a drastic move.  Carmona had replaced Cliff Lee to earn a rotation spot in '07, and when Lee was traded in July of '09, a spot opened for him again.  He was a little better to close out the year, and furthered his comeback in 2010 with 210 1/3 innings of 3.77 ball and his first All-Star nod.  Carmona even became the Indians' Opening Day starter in 2011.  His ERA was higher in '11, but Carmona was pretty much the same pitcher he had been in '10.  It was enough to get his $7MM club option picked up for 2012.

Then came surprising news in January 2012: Carmona's real name was Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and he was arrested in the Dominican Republic for using a false identity.  He was found to be three years older than originally believed.  Charges were dropped, and Hernandez's name, age, and contract were changed.  He rejoined the Indians to make three starts in August before an ankle sprain ended his season.  Though Hernandez's option price had been reduced from $9MM to $6MM, the Indians still chose to move on last October.

Enter the Rays, always open to a project, whether in terms of a performance issue, an off-the-field issue, or both.  They signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3.25MM deal with another $1.25MM in incentives.  The Rays were not able to obtain a club option, a wise choice by agent Charisse Espinosa-Dash of Draft Pix Sports.  As explained by Bradley Woodrum of FanGraphs, Hernandez has tweaked his repertoire with the Rays.  We're only six starts in, but Hernandez has whiffed more than a batter per inning, a rate to which he's never come close in the Majors.  He's still getting groundballs, too.  A 9.0 K/9 and 50% groundball rate is a rare combination, as a qualified starter hasn't managed the feat since Jon Lester and Francisco Liriano in 2010.  This year, Yu Darvish, A.J. Burnett, Jeff Samardzija, C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, and Hernandez have done it in the early going.

Hernandez's ERA sits at an unimpressive 4.66, because 23.1% of his flyballs have left the yard – the worst rate in baseball.  That home run per flyball rate figures to come down significantly moving forward, and the ERA estimator SIERA suggests Hernandez should be well below 4.00 from here on out if he maintains his skills.  If Hernandez can post a sub-4.00 ERA and pitch close to 200 innings with 175 strikeouts or so, he should be quite popular in a free agent market light on above-average, healthy starting pitchers.  The false identity issue may suppress interest, as well as the question of whether Hernandez can maintain success away from the Rays (assuming he does pitch well for the remainder of the season).  A multiyear deal should still be in order, with two years and $16MM a possible floor.  We'll be following Hernandez closely to see if his volatile stock continues to rise.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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