Giants Sign Gustavo Cabrera
The Giants have signed Dominican center fielder Gustavo Cabrera for $1.3MM, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old right-handed hitter has received high praise for his tools and athleticism.
Several scouts believe Cabrera has the best tools in Latin America, though his bat is the main question mark. The 16-year-old was Baseball America's fifth-ranked international prospect in this signing period. Some scouts believe that Cabrera will end up in either left or right field but others think he will stick in center field.
Rosenthal On Pirates, Headley, Angels, Phillies
In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Pirates should go all in and trade for either Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke or Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels. Rosenthal notes that the Bucs have the 11th-ranked farm system in the majors and enough young talent to pull off a trade without including Jameson Taillon or Gerrit Cole. Pittsburgh's pitching has been strong this year and the team is currently focusing on boosting their offense, but finding a hitter who could make an impact on the level of Greinke or Hamels would be a challenge. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- The Padres are drawing serious interest in third baseman Chase Headley, but one rival exec wonders how could the team trade Headley without knowing the future of left fielder Carlos Quentin. The club could potentially move both and replace Headley with top infield prospect Jedd Gyorko, but that would leave them flat offensively in 2013.
- Some execs wonder if the Angels might try to add one of the elite starters on the block due to the recent struggles of Dan Haren and Ervin Santana. The chances appear remote, however, as the Halos' farm system isn’t deep and sources say GM Jerry Dipoto is adamant about keeping right-hander Garrett Richards as a future low-cost option.
- Even before the Phillies began calling teams about Cole Hamels, it was obvious that they wouldn't be buyers. “Their scouts are not out there banging,” a rival exec said. “They’re usually out there banging by this time. They’re playing it more conservative.”
- The GM carousel could pick up again this year. The Rockies, Mariners, and Braves could all be compelled to make changes while the Dodgers and Padres are under new ownership. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is reportedly in the final year of his contract while the Padres’ Josh Byrnes has four years left.
- Sellers should target teams who are under a great deal of pressure to win such as the Braves, Red Sox, Marlins, Tigers, and Angels. The Yankees now work to take emotion out of the equation when surveying the trade market but they could feel added stress if they start to see another AL East club as a threat.
- Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz is out-of-options and could draw interest at the deadline. Schierholtz is hitting .248/.314/.400 with three homers in 140 plate appearances.
Braves Sign Ben Sheets
1:25 pm: Braves GM Frank Wren spoke with reporters, including Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after watching Sheets' bullpen session. "You look at him being a guy who, if the progression goes as we hope, that he could join our rotation in the next few weeks. What we just saw in the bullpen was very impressive."
11:53 am: The Braves announced that they have signed pitcher Ben Sheets to a minor league deal. The right-hander will make his first start on July 4th for the team's Double-A affiliate.
Sheets, 33, will now work his way towards returning to a big league mound for the first time since July 19th, 2010 when he was with the A's. The Louisiana native had a 4.53 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 through 20 starts that season with Oakland before having to undergo flexor tendon surgery.
As MLBTR first reported, Sheets threw for scouts from the Phillies, Braves, Yankees, and Angels two weeks ago. The pitcher apparently wanted to wait until he was 100% before returning to baseball.
AL East Notes: Bautista, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees
Over the weekend we learned that the Blue Jays are looking to upgrade their rotation as the deal with a rash of injuries. Toronto recently sent multiple scouts to at least two of Wandy Rodriguez’s starts and has also maintained contact with the Cubs about Matt Garza. Here's more on the Blue Jays and the rest of the AL East..
- Jose Bautista told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com that he wants to see the club make a big push at the deadline. "Let’s go for it,” Bautista said. “Hopefully, the change is made now. We’re in a position, in the middle of the season, to compete for a playoff spot. A lot of people maybe have forgotten about the extra wild card, but I certainly haven’t. There was a lot of talk about it in spring training, and I haven’t heard much since."
- The Rays signed Dominican catcher Erick Maria for $300K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Maria was known as Eric Otanez when he signed with Tampa Bay last year before the deal was declared ineligible thanks to an inaccurate birthdate. Maria has developed into a better prospect than he was a year ago but he appears to have remained loyal to the Rays to honor his original deal.
- No one realized exactly how important the Hiroki Kuroda signing would be for the Yankees this season, writes David Lennon of Newsday. Kuroda, who signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Bombers, has stepped up for the club in the wake of the ill-fated Michael Pineda trade.
Cafardo On Yankees, Ichiro, Greinke, Orioles
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders why other clubs weren't more aggressive in their pursuit of third baseman Kevin Youkilis. The veteran, he argues, would have been a perfect fit in Cleveland where Travis Hafner was sidelined for a time. The Pirates and Dodgers also could have used a boost at first base, but ultimately backed away when the talks got serious. At the end of the day, White Sox GM Ken Williams got his man at the deadline and Cafardo praises him for it. Here's more from today's column..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman wants to find starters in place of CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte from within, but if that’s not possible, he’ll look outside. One National League GM said that while the Astros' Wandy Rodriguez would be a good fit, he doesn’t believe he is of particular interest to them. Cashman is more likely to gravitate toward Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, and even Zack Greinke.
- It wouldn’t be shocking to see Ichiro Suzuki get another contract from the Mariners if he wants it. The outfielder's abilities have declined but ownership may stick with him for the sake of reputation.
- If the Brewers entertain a deal for Greinke, the Orioles are a team to watch. The notion that Greinke needs a smaller market because of his past anxiety issues is still very much in play.
- A team like the Dodgers, Indians, or Pirates would likely take on Vernon Wells if the Angels picked up the majority of the $53MM remaining on his deal.
- The Nationals and Marlins will have interest in Scott Podsednik once he is healthy.
Red Sox Designate Darnell McDonald For Assignment
The Red Sox have designated outfielder Darnell McDonald for assignment, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter). The move allows Boston to make room for Josh Beckett's activation.
Central Notes: Cubs, Tigers, Marcum, Twins
The trade market is woefully thin in options, and one executive told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) that there are "only six teams" that are ready to sell. That includes three teams out of the Central divisions – the Cubs, Astros, and Twins plus the Mariners, A's, and Rockies. Here's more out of the AL and NL Central..
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Tigers were interested in Shaun Marcum during the offseason that the Brewers landed him. Marcum, he says, could be an option for Detroit if he's healthy.
- If the Twins do wind up as sellers, General Manager Terry Ryan says that no player will be off the table, writes Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN. "I never consider anybody untouchable. That's not the way to go about business on a baseball team or organization," Ryan said. "If you've got chances to do things that make a lot of sense for your club there shouldn't be any untouchables. Players know that, agents know that, and so does the fan base."
- When speaking with reporters today, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer had no update on talks with first-round pick Albert Almora, except to say dialogue continues, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. The high school outfielder is one of ten unsigned first-round selections in the 2012 draft.
Cubs Sign Jorge Soler
The Cubs have officially signed Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). General Manager Jed Hoyer says that Soler, 20, will start in the minors as a rightfielder with no timetable to come to Chicago, Padilla tweets.
The Cubs won the bidding for Soler with a nine-year deal worth roughly $30MM earlier this month. The two sides wound up cutting it close as Soler had until tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. to ink the deal with Chicago or lose approximately $27MM. Any international deal signed after Sunday can only be for a maximum of $2.9MM under the new rules.
The Praver Shapiro Sports Management client also had interest from a number of other clubs, including the Phillies, Astros, Pirates, Indians, Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays. Chicago can now add Soler to the 40-man roster after designating Randy Wells for assignment.
Quick Hits: Thome, Blue Jays, Oliver, Orioles
Links as Friday turns into Saturday..
- As the Phillies look for a place to move Jim Thome, the Rays and Yankees are not interested, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Olney speculates (Twitter link) that the Orioles and Rangers could be solid fits for the veteran.
- Darren Oliver may be a name to watch for the Angels if the Blue Jays decide to be sellers at the deadline, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- The Orioles have agreed in principle with three of their top seven picks, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Second-round selection Branden Kline, Christian Walker (fourth), and Matthew Price (seven) all signed for their slot recommendation.
Dodgers, Astros Discussing Trade
10:11pm: The Dodgers asked about Lowrie, but he's not in the current talks, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. A source says that there's a 50-50 shot that Carlos Lee accepts a deal to Los Angeles for pitching prospects.
9:57pm: Dodgers' talks with Astros involve Carlos Lee, not Jed Lowrie, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Lee would need to a approve deal and has the right to block a deal to the Dodgers.
9:02pm: The Dodgers are talking to the Astros about a trade that would send Jed Lowrie to the Dodgers with minor-leaguers Zach Lee and Garrett Gould headed to Houston, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). One source place the odds of the deal taking place at about 50-50 right now, Olney tweets.
Sources also say that others could be involved in the talks, according to Olney (via Twitter). Lowrie would provide the Dodgers with options at shortstop and third base to go along with a power bat. The 28-year-old has a .262/.350/.492 slash line with 14 homers in 68 games this year.
Lee, 20, was the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2010 and signed with the club over attending LSU on a football scholarship. The right-hander was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga earlier this week after turning in a 4.55 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 12 California League starts in 2012.
Gould, also a right-hander, was the club's second-round pick in '09 out of Wichita, Kansas. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has made 12 starts and three relief appearances in the California League this year, posting a 5.12 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.