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AL Notes: Indians, Santana, Red Sox

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Indians scouting director Brad Grant says he had indications on the first day of the draft that University of San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer would be available when Cleveland picked at No. 21, Fangraphs’ David Laurila reports. “There are a lot of sources who provide information on who is going to go where,” Grant says. “You talk to different sources in order to kind of put that together. … You usually get a pretty good feel from that and can normally narrow it down to one or two players for your first pick.” Grant adds that the Indians became especially interested in No. 31 overall pick Justus Sheffield because they scouted his older brother Jordan, a 2013 Red Sox 13th-round pick who is now at Vanderbilt. Here are more notes from the American League.

  • Astros top prospect Domingo Santana isn’t likely to be promoted this summer, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. “Domingo still has some developing in Triple A, from our perspective,” says GM Jeff Luhnow. “We’re really excited about what he’s done, and I think the higher average at a higher level has been clearly a sign of better development and of him becoming a more complete player. But, the profile of the feast or famine is not something that we want to continue to have.” Santana has hit .305/.383/.508 so far this season for Oklahoma City, but with 94 strikeouts in 350 plate appearances. He’s already on the Astros’ 40-man roster, however, which makes him a good candidate for a September callup.
  • The Red Sox’ options this summer remain wide open, WEEI.com’s Alex Speier writes. The Red Sox, in the midst of a disappointing season but still only 6 1/2 games back in the AL East, could become buyers with a good month, and the recent addition of top prospect Mookie Betts could spark the Red Sox to add talent this July. If they don’t play well, they could sell. They could also pursue a multifaceted strategy in which they move players who are eligible for free agency after the season in exchange for players who might be around for the longer term but still could help this season.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Lester, De La Rosa, Rangers, Padres

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The Red Sox would like to re-open negotiations with Jon Lester, but it may not be in the player’s best interest according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in his latest video. Based on where negotiations left off, a large gap exists between club and player. It’s unlikely the two parties could bridge the difference in a short period of time. Says Rosenthal, Lester would like to avoid being labelled as selfish, a distraction, or a mercenary, all of which could result from rejecting an offer mid-season. If the Red Sox trade Lester, then they may shut the door on re-signing him. Many players treat a trade as a “sign of rejection.”

AL Notes: Jays, Orioles, Twins, Red Sox

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The Blue Jays need to do some navel-gazing heading into trade season, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. The rotation leads the AL with 35 wins, but other stats like ERA and total bases allowed stack up less promisingly. Veteran Mark Buerhle has provided a timely career season, while other members of the rotation have been solid but volatile. Improvements to the rotation may rank at the top of the Jays’ trade deadline wish list.

  • In the same piece, Davidi speaks with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. He acknowledges there will be inconsistency with the rotation and points to health as something that is particularly difficult to predict. He also reiterated his preference for in-season trades since it’s easier to gauge which teams and players are performing well.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette recently addressed fans at the “State of the Orioles” address, reports MASNsports.com Steve Melewski. One of the topics discussed was Nolan Reimold’s role with the club. He’s currently hitting .326/.433/.522 at Double-A. Said Duquette “we’ll have to see if he can help our ballclub.” The Orioles must add Reimold to the active roster by Monday or else designate him for assignment. Given his current performance, it’s likely they will lose him if he’s placed on waivers.
  • Despite rumors that the Yankees plan to spend upwards of $30 million in the international market, the Twins intend to participate aggressively, writes Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. According to Twins GM Terry Ryan, “we aren’t going to lie low.” He also expressed skepticism about the rumors of other teams blowing past their budget, saying “Once you start paying some of that tax, all of a sudden other people get involved.”
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington spoke with reporters about the club’s direction, reports MassLive.com’s Jason Mastrodonato. Cherington highlights the team’s talent base as a reason to stay positive for the current season. While he wasn’t “sugarcoating” their 7.5 game deficit in the AL East, he didn’t rule out a trade deadline addition. It’s widely speculated that the Sox will deal from their depth of starting pitchers.

Red Sox To Promote Mookie Betts

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4:00pm: The Red Sox have officially announced the move. To clear space on their active roster, they’ve optioned pitcher Rubby De La Rosa to Triple-A Pawtucket.

9:13am: The Red Sox are set to promote top prospect Mookie Betts, John Tomase of the Boston Herald tweets. There’s no word yet on a corresponding roster move.

The Red Sox drafted Betts in the fifth round in 2011, and beginning in 2013, he quickly cut his way through the minors, hitting well at each level. The 21-year-old second baseman and outfielder hit .345/.437/.520 in 359 plate appearances in 2014 split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket.

Betts is ranked the No. 51 prospect in the game by MLB.com, No. 61 by ESPN’s Keith Law and No. 75 by Baseball America. BA’s Prospect Handbook 2014 ranked Betts the Red Sox’ seventh-best prospect, praising his speed, athleticism and ability to control the strike zone. With Dustin Pedroia at second base, the Red Sox will likely find playing time for Betts in the outfield, where the team has struggled this season.

Red Sox Notes: Rotation, Doubront, Betts

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The Red Sox should be willing to trade staff ace Jon Lester and any number of other non-core veteran players, opines Dan Szymborski of ESPN.com (Insider piece). Just as the club acted rationally in dealing away Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett two years ago, Szymborski says that Boston should face reality and take the opportunity to swap out some current pieces for future talent with an eye toward competing next year.

Here’s the latest out of Boston:

  • One area of apparent excess — as it was before the season started — is the rotation, which just welcomed back Clay Buchholz. But while the club is currently carrying seven starters on its roster, that does not mean that it is simply biding time for a deal, reports Sean McAdam of Comcast SportsNet New England (via Twitter). Maintaining the full staff was not related to an effort to move Jake Peavy, in particular, WEEI.com’s Alex Speier reports.
  • Nevertheless, southpaw Felix Doubront, who is being moved to the pen, took questions today about the possibility of being dealt. As Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com reports, Doubront acknowledged that a trade could have some positive repercussions, as it might deliver a more steady starting role — which is his clear preference. He did emphasize that he would his move to a relief role and a hypothetical departure in stride. As Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports, Doubront’s approaching arbitration eligibility is also in limbo, as he would stand to increase his value as a starter. “Arbitration is just about numbers,” said Doubront. “I’m going to try to get better numbers and still win money. For the moment, that’s the only thing I can do, the only thing I can focus on and be positive: Get better numbers in this position.”
  • When the pitching logjam is finally removed, Boston will likely dip into its minor league ranks for a right-handed bat, writes Speier. The club is in no apparent rush, but when it makes a move, the two obvious options are mid-season free agent signee Ryan Roberts, who has put up good numbers since being outrighted, and skyrocketing prospect Mookie Betts. As Speier notes, it is remarkable that a promotion of the 21-year-old is even under consideration.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Sox, Hazen, Jays, Murphy

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In his latest piece, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News looks at some of the Yankees’ most tradeable assets and discussed their stock with scouts around the league. Martino notes that many scouts aren’t high on Gary Sanchez due to a lack of fire, questionable defense and the fact that he doesn’t do early work before games. Right-hander Luis Severino, on the other hand, is seeing his stock rise. The Class-A Advanced hurler threw six no-hit innings Wednesday and drew praise from a scout who spoke with Martino. He also notes that catcher Peter O’Brien and second baseman Rob Refsnyder have been knocked for their defense. A scout Martino spoke with shared the opinion of many in stating that O’Brien doesn’t really have a position.

Here’s more out of the AL East…

  • Red Sox COO Sam Kennedy appeared on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show yesterday morning, and Conor Ryan of WEEI.com has the highlights from the discussion. Kennedy said it’s too early to determine whether they’re buyers or sellers, but it’s certainly possible that the ultimate plan of action is to trade veteran pieces and promote prospects like Mookie Betts, Christian Vazquez and Garin Cecchini. He added that he feels Boston’s fans are knowledgeable enough to understand, should that approach necessitate itself.
  • Kennedy also discussed the possibility of Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen drawing interest for the Padres’ GM opening. While he joked that they weren’t interested in helping out former BoSox COO and current Padres CEO Mike Dee, he acknowledged how desirable Hazen is to other clubs: “I think [Hazen] will definitely be a candidate atop any club’€™s list who might need a general manager. … Hopefully, Mike Hazen will be with us for a long time, but we are realistic and recognize that when you have talented people, other organizations come knocking.”
  • WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes that it’s time for the Red Sox to make changes. The team cannot keep relying on struggling veterans Jake Peavy and A.J. Pierzynski, he opines. Rather than “grasp[ing] at what might possibly pan out” with their veterans, they should be embracing young talent. He notes that while there are more apparent replacements for Peavy than Pierzynski, Vazquez could be given a trial and at least provide strong defense if he doesn’t hit.
  • The Blue Jays continue to monitor the trade market for infielders, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). While the team would like to add a starting pitcher, they’re open to upgrades at any position. Specifically, the Jays are looking at second basemen and third basemen, knowing that Brett Lawrie can man the position that isn’t addressed via trade once he is healthy.
  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports adds, also via Twitter, that while the Blue Jays are looking at second base options, they’re not considering Daniel Murphy of the Mets. Toronto is looking for more defense that Murphy offers at the position. It’s been reported that the Mets could extend Murphy rather than trade him. I examined what a Murphy extension might cost the Mets yesterday.

AL East Notes: Red Sox Rotation, Bogaerts, Yankees

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Let’s have a quick look in at the American League East to start the day:

  • The Red Sox rotation is now facing questions on several fronts. Clay Buchholz is set to return this week to see if he can salvage his season, but it is unclear whose place he will take with youngsters Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa throwing well in their recent stints. Meanwhile, Jake Peavy is struggling, and as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports, manager John Farrell did not dismiss out of hand the idea that Peavy could lose his turn.
  • Then, there is Felix Doubront, who has scuffled to a 4.99 ERA but could be a trade chip, according to the Globe’s Nick Cafardo. A front office source recently told Cafardo that Doubront would draw interest if dangled because he is left-handed, has excellent pure stuff, and is affordable (he makes just $586K this year in his final pre-arbitration season).
  • Scott Boras, who represents young Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts, discussed the future for the top young talent in an interesting chat with Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com. No extension talks have taken place for the 21-year-old, said Boras, who indicated that he believes most early-career extensions do not provide sufficient value to the player (while noting that he is willing to negotiate such contracts when it makes sense or when directed by a player). When asked if he had thought about the possibility of a pre-arb deal for Bogaerts, Boras said with a laugh that he is “usually not the one that raises these subjects.” He went on to explain that most of his attention goes toward helping his clients stay focused and improving as ballplayers, not on making deals.
  • It is still early in the span of some of the large free agent contracts doled out last winter, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post says that there is enough information to begin seriously assessing whether the Yankees erred in letting Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson walk while spending big on Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Brian McCann. The total commitment in dollars and years was very nearly identical between each group of players — albeit distributed quite differently — but Sherman says he believes the Yanks could have saved a fairly significant amount of money had the club aggressively pursued its own free agents. Meanwhile, the early returns on the field suggest to Sherman that New York would be better off with its departed pairing.

Draft Signings: Kevin McAvoy, Tanner Scott

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Here are the latest draft signings of note:

  • Fourth-rounder Kevin McAvoy has agreed to terms with the Red Sox, tweets Callis. McAvoy will get a $300K bonus, saving the club $77.6K against his 134th slot allocation. Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal profiled the Bryant University righty after he was selected.
  • The Orioles have agreed to sign sixth-round choice Tanner Scott, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). Scott takes home a $650K bonus, which nearly triples the $240K slot value allocated to the 181st choice. Scott, a high school lefty out of Texas, was rated the 184th-best prospect by Baseball America but did not crack the top-200 list of Callis and his MLB.com colleague Jonathan Mayo.

East Notes: Ortiz, Price, Yankees, Nationals

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Five years removed from what seemed like his demise, David Ortiz remains the Red Sox’s foremost game-changer, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  “I couldn’t even watch TV, any sports channel at the time, because it was nothing but, ’He’s done.’ You’re struggling and people are saying that you’re done, it doesn’t help,” recalled Ortiz. “That’s when your mind has to start processing that and next thing you know, ’I’m out.’ ”  Here’s more out of the AL and NL East..

  • The Rays need to trade David Price as soon as possible, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  The Rays, of course, can’t afford to keep their ace long term and Price has grown increasingly frustrated with the team’s losing.  Meanwhile, Topkin doesn’t see a trade within the division as an impossibility, but he says that it will require an additional premium for the Rays to even consider it.
  • The Yankees have to explore their options for starting pitchers on the trade market, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The Bombers have the phenomenal pitching of Masahiro Tanaka and a strong late-game bullpen working in their favor, but they feel they are one more rotation injury or significant dip in production from being in trouble.
  • There’s no indication that the Nationals would trade someone like Denard Span to make it possible, but Ryan Zimmerman says that his preference is to stay in left field rather than move back to one of the corner infield spots, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Red Sox Sign First-Rounder Michael Chavis

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JUNE 23rd: Chavis’ deal is now official after the infielder passed his physical, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

JUNE 16th: The Red Sox have agreed to a full-slot bonus with first-rounder Michael Chavis, reports Ryan Hannable of MetroBoston (via Twitter). Chavis, taken with the 26th overall pick, will get $1,870,500 to forego his commitment to Clemson.

Chavis, a shortstop in high school ball who could transition to third (if not the outfield or even catcher) as a pro, is said to impress with his overall abilities more than any single tool. Reports say that he has a strong arm, solid power, good contact skills and bat speed, and decent running ability. That package, along with his reputed effort and work ethic, led Chavis to be rated the 21st overall prospect by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, 26th by Baseball America, and 28th by ESPN.com’s Keith Law.

The signing of Chavis wraps up a notable day for Boston’s system. The club landed an at-slot deal with second-rounder Sam Travis. Meanwhile, we also learned that compensation round A choice Michael Kopech would indeed sign for just under his slot allocation.

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