Mets Acquire Eric Young Jr., Designate Collin Cowgill
The Mets announced that they have acquired Eric Young Jr. from the Rockies in exchange for right-hander Collin McHugh. In a related move, the Mets have also designated Collin Cowgill for assignment.
Young Jr. was designated for assignment last week in order to make room for the activation of right-hander Chris Volstad. The outfielder posted a .316/.377/.448 slash line in 196 plate appearances last year but has hit just .242/.290/.352 with one homer in 180 PAs this year. The 28-year-old has experience at all three outfield positions as well as 49 games at second base.
McHugh has 11 big league games under his belt but has spent the 2013 season with the Mets' Triple-A affiliate. In nine starts for Las Vegas, McHugh has a 2.87 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Despite his success there, he'll report to the Rockies' Double-A affiliate, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
Cowgill, 27, has a .173/.189/.327 slash line in 53 plate appearances this year. In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A the outfielder has hit .307/.381/.476.
Yankees Acquire Fernando Martinez
The Yankees acquired Fernando Martinez from the Astros in exchange for minor league right-hander Charles Basford, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Martinez, 24, has been less-than-stellar in 35 plate appearances for the Astros this season. In his five years for the Astros and Mets, the left-handed hitting outfielder has a .206/.269/.362 slash line. Martinez was once considered to be a promising farmhand in the Mets' system and was ranked as high as No. 22 across the minors by Baseball America prior to the 2007 season.
Basford, 22, has spend the last two seasons with the Yankees' New York-Penn League affiliate. In 19 relief appearances, the right-hander has a 5.13 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.
Yankees Designate Chris Bootcheck For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they have designated right-hander Chris Bootcheck for assignment. That move, coupled with Mark Teixeria being placed on the DL, allowed the Bombers to recall right-hander Adam Warren and outfielder Zoilo Almonte.
Bootcheck saw just one inning in pinstripes this year, allowing two hits and one run against the Angels on Friday. In 91 big league games, the 34-year-old owns a 6.55 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
The Yankees promoted Bootcheck in advance of his late-June opt out and while his stay on the varsity squad was short lived, he pitched well for the club's Triple-A affiliate. Bootcheck made 11 starts for Scranton Wilkes-Barre and had a 3.32 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.
Padres Sign Ben Francisco
The Padres have signed Ben Francisco to a minor league deal, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (on Twitter). The outfielder was designated for assignment by the Yankees in late May and released in early June. Francisco will report to Triple-A Tuscon and provide San Diego with some additional minor league depth.
The 31-year-old hit just .114/.220/.182 in 50 plate appearances this season with the Bombers but has a .253/.323/.418 career line across seven seasons. Francisco spent the first six seasons of his career with the Indians and Phillies but has had stints with four big league clubs from 2012-13.
Astros, Boras Meet To Discuss Appel Deal
Scott Boras, who represents No.1 pick Mark Appel, touched down in Houston today to talk with Astros GM Jeff Luhnow in an effort to wrap up negotiations. Boras told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that no agreement has been reached, but his pow-wow with Luhnow likely indicates that a deal is close.
“Jeff and I are going to talk about things tonight and we’ll see,” Boras said. “We’re certainly close enough for me to come here and talk, that’s for sure.”
It was reported late last week that the Astros had reached an agreement in principle with Appel on a deal that would pay him $6.35MM, well below the suggested slot value of $7.79MM for the top selection. Appel was ranked as the top prospect in the draft by ESPN's Keith Law and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Baseball America had him pegged as the second-best prospect in his class, behind Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray, who went No. 3 to the Rockies.
Mets Agree To Sign Dominic Smith
2:54pm: Smith's deal is worth $2.6MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). That figure is just below the slot recommendation of $2.8MM for the No. 11 overall selection.
2:23pm: The Mets have reached agreement on a deal with first-rounder Dominic Smith, sources tell Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter). An official announcement from the Mets is coming soon, according to Carig.
Terms of the deal are unknown, but the slot recommendation for the No. 11 pick is $2,840,300, according to Baseball America. Smith, a high school first baseman out of California, is being advised by the MVP Sports Group.
ESPN's Keith Law ranked Smith as the No. 11 talent available, while Baseball America ranked him 14th, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo ranked him 15th. All three noted the tremendous upside of Smith's bat and his plus defense at first, with Law in particular noting how rare it is for high school first basemen to be this highly regarded because they're already at the bottom of the defensive spectrum.
Matt Ehalt of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that the Mets and Smith were close to a deal.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Travis Ishikawa Exercises Opt Out Clause
TUESDAY: Orioles general manager Dan Duquette tells Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that the team is "leaning toward" adding Ishikawa to the roster, but nothing has been finalized yet. The team has until midnight to make a decision (Twitter link).
SUNDAY: Travis Ishikawa has filed a written request to exercise his opt-out clause and become a free agent, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Orioles have 48 hours to add Ishikawa to their 25-man Major League roster, or he will be granted his release from the organization. The Orioles could also trade Ishikawa during this 48-hour period, MLBTR has learned.
As reported by MLBTR last week, Ishikawa had the ability to opt-out of his contract on Saturday. While he has performed quite well at Triple-A Norfolk, the O's haven't been able to find room for him on the roster. The 29-year-old has a .316/.413/.525 slash line with seven homers in 208 Triple-A plate appearances.
Astros Sign Second-Round Pick Andrew Thurman
MONDAY: Thurman signed for his exact recommend slot value, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (via Twitter).
FRIDAY: Astros second round pick Andrew Thurman has agreed to sign, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Terms of the deal aren't known yet, but recommended slot bonus for the No. 40 pick is just under $1.4MM.
The right-handed pitcher out of UC-Irvine says he is set to sign early next week after taking a physical. He'll be the highest Houston pick to sign to date as No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel has yet to ink a deal.
Thurman, who is represented by The Legacy Agency, was ranked as the No. 27 pick in the draft by ESPN's Keith Law. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball America have him pegged at No. 42 and No. 44, respectively. BA writes that Thurman pounds the strike zone but needs to work on his command because he has a tendency to pitch up in the zone. The primary knock against Thurman is his lack of a power breaking ball though his below-average 73-77 curveball is serviceable.
Brewers Sign Devin Williams
The Brewers have signed their top draft choice Devin Williams to a deal worth $1.35MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter). The bonus is above-slot as the recommended value for the 54th overall selection is just over $1.017MM, per Baseball America. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports part of Williams' bonus includes compensation for forgoing a scholarship to the University of Missouri, which is common practice in signing high school picks.
Williams, who is advised by Jason Wood of Arland Sports, was ranked as the 20th best prospect in the draft by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) and number 43 by Baseball America. Law sees Williams as one of the top prep arms in the country, with an athletic build and delivery reminiscent of the Mariners' Taijuan Walker and a chance for three above-average or better pitches. Callis adds Williams has a loose arm and hits 91-95 mph with his fastball.
Williams touched 96 mph at a pre-draft workout for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, according to McCalvy, but pitched mostly at 90-94 mph during his senior season at Hazelwood West Hight School near St. Louis, where he went 6-1 with one save and a 1.02 ERA, 93 strikeouts, a .102 opponents' batting average in nine games covering 48 innings.
Williams will report to the Brewers' Rookie League affiliate in Arizona tomorrow. The Brewers, who forfeited their first-round selection after signing Kyle Lohse, have now inked each of their first 11 draft picks.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Dodgers Notes: Kershaw, Puig, Crawford
Yesterday we learned that the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw are making progress on a contract extension that will be worth at least $180MM. In fact, deals for up to 12 years and $300MM have been discussed, in addition to the seven-year deal already being worked on. Here's more on the Dodgers' star pitcher and other news out of L.A…
- The Dodgers have been waiting for the resolution of their TV contract situation wtih Major League Baseball before picking up talks with Kershaw in earnest, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It initially appeared that the Dodgers' massive TV deal was going to be largely immune to revenue sharing, but they'll now have to kick in an additional $1B over the course of 25 years.
- In speaking with reporters, including Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter), Kershaw sounded upset with what he believed to be a leak from the organization and called it a "distraction".
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post recounted the bizarre story of how the Dodgers wound up signing Yasiel Puig, despite having very little intel on him. Within the story, Sherman writes that the Mets were never involved with him and the Yankees didn't make an offer.
- Not much of a surprise here, but manager Don Mattingly says that Puig will probably remain in the majors even if/when Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford return to action, tweets Hernandez.