Draft Notes: Brewers, Padres, Nationals, Giolito
Tonight's draft notes, with the latest news up top..
- The Brewers signed third-rounder Zach Quintana for $325K, just under the suggested pick value of $385K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. The high school right-hander out of Nevada boasts a 90-95 mph fastball and a hard breaking ball.
- The Padres signed second-rounder Dane Phillips for $450K, significantly less than the pick value of $734K for the No. 70 pick. The catcher/first baseman is said to have a sweet bat and has a chance to stay behind the plate.
- The Nationals gave first-round pick Lucas Giolito a grand tour of Nationals Park earlier today, writes Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com. The 17-year-old right-hander is a UCLA commit.
Red Sox Sign Pat Light
The Red Sox have officially signed supplemental first rounder Pat Light, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The hard-throwing right-hander out of Monmouth University agreed to a bonus of $1MM, shy of the $1.394MM bonus earmarked for the No. 37 pick.
Light routinely worked in the mid-90s in college and flashed fastballs of 96 mph and better at the end of games last season. The right-hander posted a 2.40 ERA in his junior year with 102 strikeouts and just 16 walks across 101.1 innings.
The Red Sox also signed second-round pick Jamie Callahan, a hard-throwing right-hander from Dillon High School in South Carolina. The amount of the 17-year-old's bonus is unknown.
NL Central Notes: Dempster, Cubs, Brewers, Appel
Items out of the NL Central as Wednesday turns into Thursday..
- Amid heavy trade talk, Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster had a long chat with Theo Epstein in the stands of Wrigley Field before today's game, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Dempster told Muskat that the two discussed an upcoming fundraiser. Meanwhile, some execs believe that the hurler could be moved early, perhaps even before the All-Star break.
- The Brewers expect to announce a number of draft signings by the end of the week, including a deal with second-round pick Tyrone Taylor, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Taylor is a center fielder out of Torrance High School in California.
- Many of this year's top picks have already signed with their respective clubs and when all is said and done, Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter) believes that Mark Appel is the only first round pick who may not sign. The Pirates' eighth-overall pick was said to be in the mix to go No. 1 but asked for more than the Astros were willing to pay.
AL East Notes: Guerrero, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees
The Blue Jays released Vladimir Guerrero yesterday morning at the slugger's request. Here's a bit of news on the 37-year-old and more from around the American League East..
- The Tigers' interest in Guerrero is lukewarm, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It's not clear if Detroit will pursue him at this point. Bean Stringfellow, the veteran's agent, says his client is not retiring and plans to continue playing.
- Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine says that it's only human for Kevin Youkilis to be upset by trade rumors, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Earlier today, the third baseman confessed that this season hasn't been terribly fun for him.
- Yankees Triple-A catcher Francisco Cervelli could help several teams in the majors but continues to serve as the club's insurance policy, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The catcher told Heyman that he has no hard feelings against the Yankees.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter) sees supplementary first round selection Matt Smoral signing with the club for over-slot, but not for twice as much as the $1MM recommendation.
Draft Signings: Mariners, Mets, Royals, A’s, Pirates
Here are today's latest draft signings, with the most recent updates up top..
- The Mariners signed sixth-round pick Timmy Lopes for $550K, well over the pick value of $198K, according to Callis (via Twitter). The infielder out of California is said to have a good bat, not unlike his older brother Christian Lopes who was drafted by the Blue Jays last year. The M's also announced that they signed 26 others from this year's draft and have now inked 25 of their first 30 picks.
- The Mets signed third-rounder Matt Koch for $425K, slightly below his pick value of $445K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. The right-hander has a 92-96 mph fastball and flashes good slider and changeup.
- The Royals signed fourth-round pick, Stanford infielder Kenny Diekroeger, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Just one of Kansas City's top ten picks remain unsigned.
- The A’s announced that they agreed to terms with center fielder Herschel Powell (20th round), right-hander Lee Sosa (26th), shortstop Christopher Wolfe (30th), and first baseman John Wooten (37th).
- The Pirates announced that they signed eight draft picks, including infielder Eric Wood (sixth round). Pittsburgh has now inked nine draft picks in total and continues to negotiate with eighth-overall pick Mark Appel.
Aaron Miles To Retire
Veteran Aaron Miles is set to retire according to the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, writes Matthew Pouliot of Circling The Bases. Miles, 35, hit .235/.297/.338 in 18 games for Albuquerque this season.
The infielder hooked on with the Dodgers in February of last year on a minor league deal. Miles would go on to make the big league roster and make 490 plate appearances with a .275/.314/.346 slash line. The veteran's agent, David Schwartz, told MLBTR in April that his client hoped to play in 2012 and in May he hooked on again with the Dodgers.
For his career, Miles hit .281/.320/.352 across nine big league seasons with the White Sox, Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, and Dodgers. Baseball-Reference pegs his career earnings at roughly $8.77MM through 2011.
Soler Expected To Agree To Deal Before Tomorrow
2:15 pm: Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports the Soler decision could come within the next 24-36 hours, according to executives interested in the Cuban outfielder. Heyman has been told final bids are due today.
10:19 am: Outfielder Jorge Soler is expected to agree on a four-year deal before tomorrow, an industry source told George A. King III and Mike Puma of the New York Post. Meanwhile, the representative for Soler is calling to ask teams if their bids are final, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Yankees, Cubs, Braves, and Dodgers have been among the most aggressive teams in their pursuit of Soler, according to Olney. The Yankees are said to have bid heavy on Soler while other teams view the Cubs as the favorite, Olney tweets. King III and Puma note that the Yankees don’t have a Plan B if they lose Nick Swisher in free agency and Soler would certainly cost less than chasing Josh Hamilton.
Plenty of other teams have been linked to Soler, including the Astros, Pirates, Indians, Red Sox, Phillies, and Blue Jays. The Mets and Marlins, meanwhile, aren't pursuing the outfielder.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Gonzalez, Red Sox
The Yankees topped the Mets last night 4-2 behind a solid showing from Phil Hughes. Here's more on the Bombers and the AL East..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says that he's not looking for an outfielder in the wake of the latest news on Brett Gardner, but Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger thinks that he'll have to consider making a deal. Gardner's latest setback could leave him sidelined until after the All-Star break.
- Had things gone differently, Gio Gonzalez might have been on the hill for the Red Sox this weekend rather than the Nationals, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Sox pursued Gonzalez aggressively when the Athletics shopped him last offseason, but balked at the huge prospect haul they would have had to give up.
- In addition to a consistent Daisuke Matsuzaka, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines that the Red Sox need to land a No. 1 starter if this season is going to matter.
Astros Acquire D’Andre Toney From Royals
The Astros announced that they have acquired outfielder D’Andre Toney from the Royals as the player to be named later in the March 20th trade that sent Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero to Kansas City. Toney was drafted by the Royals in the 14th round last year.
Drafted players cannot be traded until they have been in professional baseball for a year which is why Toney was made to be a PTBNL rather than in the initial trade. The 20-year-old hit .340/.432/.587 in 43 games last year for the Royals' Arizona League affiliate. At the time of the deal, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow noted that the PTBNL would be the "key component" of the trade.
Cafardo On Upton, Phillies, Red Sox, Mariners
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks the top ten managers in baseball. Don Mattingly of the Dodgers tops the list as he has the club off to a surprising 38-22 record, putting them four games above the Giants in the NL West. Robin Ventura (White Sox), Terry Collins (Mets), Bobby Valentine (Red Sox), and Buck Showalter (Orioles) round out the top five. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Only Kevin Towers knows for sure if the inconsistent Justin Upton could ever be available in a deal. However, a few baseball evaluators wouldn’t mind tempting the Diamondbacks with a package. Arizona doesn't need pitching, so the Red Sox can't use someone like Clay Buchholz to get him.
- The Phillies may be more interested in Will Middlebrooks than Kevin Youkilis, a major league source told Cafardo. However, it doesn't look like the Red Sox would have interest in dealing Middlebrooks.
- The Orioles' new six-year, $85MM deal with Adam Jones has led to speculation on how the Red Sox will approach Jacoby Ellsbury, who can be a free agent after the 2013 season. However, there's reason for both sides to wait. As an Oregon native who shuns the spotlight, Ellsbury may want a quieter market. The Sox, meanwhile, would want to see Ellsbury stay healthy for a while before committing 6-8 years to him.
- While the Mariners haven’t given indications that they will sell off veteran pieces, teams are targeting them as a seller. The M's have already received some inquiries for Brandon League.
- The Rays have to be looking for a middle infielder, which are extremely hard to come by. Tampa Bay is anxious to upgrade from the defensive play of Sean Rodriguez.
- The Red Sox really like Jorge Soler, but they don’t appear to be the front-runners for him.