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Red Sox Release Grady Sizemore

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TODAY: Boston has given Sizemore his release, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (via Twitter).

YESTERDAY: The Red Sox have designated outfielder Grady Sizemore for assignment, reports Alex Speier of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Third baseman Garin Cecchini will take his spot on the active roster.

Sizemore’s remarkable comeback story captured plenty of attention around the game. Once among baseball’s brightest talents, he had not played since 2011 due to a series of injuries. Sizemore defied the odds, breaking camp with Boston and showing flashes suggesting that he could return to a very high level of play.

The 31-year-old has not managed to maintain his early show of promise, however, and currently owns a .216/.288/.324 line (with two home runs and five stolen bases) through 205 plate appearances. UZR and DRS were both down on his work in center field, though saw him as a much more effective option in left. In the aggregate, Sizemore was worth a disappointing -0.4 fWAR. At the height of his powers, in the mid-2000s, he was putting up six or more wins above replacement on an annual basis.

Ultimately, Sizemore will earn a total of $1.25MM for his time with the Red Sox, tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Under the incentive provisions of his deal, Sizemore could have earned up to $6MM, but he reached only his first active roster milestone and fell 20 plate appearances shy of triggering his first plate appearance bonus.

Meanwhile, this is the second time up this year for Cecchini. He seems somewhat unlikely to have a permanent home on the active roster, with the Sox having inked Stephen Drew to play short and shifted Xander Bogaerts to third.

AL Notes: Durrett, Rios, Moreland, Jackson, Kubel, Jays

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ESPN Dallas writer and reporter Richard Durrett, whose work was often referenced in MLBTR’s pages, passed away suddenly today. In one of his final pieces, Durrett wrote an excellent assessment of Alex Rios and his value to the Rangers as a trade candidate or member of next year’s club. As we commend his work one last time, MLBTR offers its deepest condolences to Durrett’s young family, friends, and colleagues in the press box.

Here is the latest news out of the American League:

  • Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland is “leaning toward” season-ending ankle surgery, GM Jon Daniels tells Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. Moreland had struggled thus far in 2014, but his absence will still tell for a Texas club that has had more than its fair share of injuries. As Fraley notes, the 28-year-old could be a non-tender candidate.
  • The Mariners are in position to begin full-on negotiations with first-round (sixth overall) selection Alex Jackson, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. As Dutton explains, both sides have strong incentives to get a deal done. Jackson’s spot in the draft comes with a $3,575,900 slot allocation, but at present Seattle can dedicate as much as $3,882,900 to the high schooler before incurring penalties, Dutton notes.
  • Despite their obvious need for outfield help, the Red Sox appear to have little interest in the recently-released Jason Kubel, reports Sean McAdam of Comcast SportsNet New England (via Twitter). Kubel, 32, scuffled to a .224/.313/.295 line in 176 plate appearances in his return to the Twins.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos took on a range of topics in a press appearance today, and MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm has a transcript. Addressing the team’s still-unsigned first-round choices (injured righty Jeff Hoffman and catcher Max Pentecost), Anthopoulos said that he “feel[s] very confident that [deals] will get done.”
  • Turning to the upcoming trade deadline, Anthopoulos said that talks are still in a preliminary stage, with teams “calling to see what everyone’s needs are.” Strongly implying that Toronto expects to be a buyer, as one would expect, Anthopoulos continued: “I think the stage that everyone is at is, where do we have fits, what teams do we line up with and then the next step is, teams are out seeing our affiliates, or are going to see our affiliates.”
  • Toronto is not necessarily just focused on adding a starter, Anthopoulos said. “[W]e’ve talked about every spot,” he said. “I was just on the phone with someone that, if they have a player available [and] we have a good player at that spot but that player’s an upgrade, we’d look to do it.” At this point, said the GM, “we’re just basically canvassing the clubs to see who’s available. In some of the conversations, players we didn’t think were available are, and we’ll see where the dialogue goes.”
  • All that being said, the Blue Jays still seem likely to pursue rotation help. Indeed, the club sent a scout to watch Cubs’ righties Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija in their most recent starts, reports Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network. On the other side of the coin, scouts from the Cubs and Rays were present to watch last Thursday’s outing for Jays’ minor league lefty Daniel Norris, along with the rest of the Class-A Dunedin squad.

Red Sox Sign Michael Kopech

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JUNE 16: The signing is now official, as Kopech’s father tweeted a photo of his son inking his first professional contract. MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (via Twitter) that Kopech receives a $1.5MM bonus, meaning Boston saved about $178K on the selection.

JUNE 10, 2:30pm: Kopech says that he will sign for “a little under” slot, reports Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The bonus will land around $1.6MM, Cotillo tweets.

2:08pm: The Red Sox have an agreement in place with compensation pick Michael Kopech for an as-yet unknown amount, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Kopech was taken with the 33rd overall pick, which comes with a $1.678MM allotment.

Observers were largely in agreement on Kopech’s stock, with Baseball America (37th), ESPN.com’s Keith Law (40th), and MLB.com (41st) all placing him in the same range on their top prospect lists. The latter outlet noted that Kopech could clean up his delivery, but already has a strong fastball and curve and “has a lot of projection remaining.”

Kopech, who was committed to the University of Arizona, becomes the first reported draft signing for Boston. The club’s other top selection, shortstop Michael Chavis, was also taken out of high school.

Red Sox Sign Second-Rounder Sam Travis

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The Red Sox have signed second-round draft pick Sam Travis, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link).  Travis was taken with the 67th overall selection and will sign for that pick’s exact slot value of $846.8K.

Travis, a 20-year-old first baseman, posted three strong seasons playing for Indiana University and earned himself a solid mid-tier rank in several top-100 prospect lists (Baseball America had Travis at #56, ESPN’s Keith Law at #57 and MLB.com at #63).  BA’s scouting report describes Travis as owning pull power and the ability to drive the ball to all fields, while also noting that he walks as often as he strikes out.  “A team that drafts Travis is buying a bat, though he is a sure-handed but not flashy defender at first and fringe-average runner,” according to Baseball America.

AL East Notes: Norris, Rays, Markakis, Wieters

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Notable talent evaluators from the Rays and Cubs were recently on hand to watch Blue Jays prospect Daniel Norris throw five scoreless innings in a high-A ball start, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports.  Norris, 21, was a second round draft pick for the Jays in 2011 and was ranked as the franchise’s sixth-best prospect by the 2014 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.  The southpaw has a 1.22 ERA, 4.22 K/BB rate and 10.3 K/9 in 13 starts this season, and Elliott wonders if Norris or outfielder Dalton Pompey could be targeted by the Rays or Cubs as part of a trade package for David Price or Jeff Samardzija this summer.  Both Elliott and two scouts feel the Jays (who are known to be looking for a pitching upgrade) need a power arm to be legitimate postseason contenders.

Here’s some more from around the AL East…

  • Also from Elliott, he hears that the Cubs are asking for four players in return for Samardzjia.  The Blue Jays had two evaluators present for Samardzija’s start against the Marlins on June 7th.
  • The Rays are “looking like the strong favorites” to sign 15-year-old Dominican shortstop Adrian Rondon, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports, though Rondon cannot sign until he turns 16 on July 7.  Rondon, who is 6’2″ and 180 pounds, is expected to sign for around a $3MM bonus.  Several scouts consider Rondon to be the best prospect available on the international market, with one scout even telling Badler that Rondon’s upside could make him “a Hanley Ramirez-type of offensive shortstop.”
  • Nick Markakis “wants to play here for the rest of his life,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko).  The O’s have a $17.5MM club option on Markakis for 2015 that will very likely be bought out for $2MM, though Markakis’ strong play this season is putting him in good shape for a new multiyear contract.
  • The Orioles expect Dr. James Andrews to recommend that Matt Wieters’ right elbow will require Tommy John surgery when the catcher is examined later today, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports.  Losing Wieters would obviously be a major blow to the O’s this season, and it would further complicate any plans they might have to sign Wieters to a contract extension (Wieters is under control through 2015).
  • Two-thirds of the Red Sox roster could be trade candidates if the team decides to rebuild for 2015, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes.  Abraham’s list includes several relievers (including Koji Uehara), A.J. Pierzynski, David Ross, Stephen Drew, Jake Peavy and Jonny Gomes.  While you could make a case for the likes of Jon Lester, Shane Victorino, Will Middlebrooks or Clay Buchholz to be dealt as well, Abraham feels these players are much longer shots to be traded.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington needs to make a move for a quality outfield bat before the season is lost, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines.

Quick Hits: Hudson, Niese, Orioles, Lester

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Giants starter Tim Hudson is baseball’s top unsung player, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan writes. One reason Hudson’s greatness often goes unnoticed is that his key weapon is the grounder, not the strikeout. With a ground ball rate of 57.4% this season, though, he’s been spectacular, with a 1.81 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 89 1/3 innings — all despite being an undersized 38-year-old who missed much of last season with a serious ankle injury. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that the club has the resources to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline.  Alderson went on to say that pitcher Jon Niese won’t be trade bait.
  • Orioles Executive VP Dan Duquette told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that he wants bullpen help as well as better offensive production at second and third base.
  • Red Sox starter Jon Lester tells WEEI’s Rob Bradford that he still wants to stay in Boston. “It’s all I’ve really known,” Lester says. “You don’t see many guys that get drafted by a team and end up staying there their whole career. It’s just something that I’ve always … wanted to do.” Lester cites his relationships with members of the Red Sox’s front office, and points out that his wife and kids would have to start their social lives anew if they were to move to a new city. Basic considerations like these rarely enter conversations about why a player might choose to sign with, or stay with, a team, but they’re clearly important. Lester, who is eligible for free agency after the season, says negotiations with the Red Sox will hinge on “what we think is a discount and still fair.”

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

AL Notes: Wade, Bundy, Middlebrooks

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The Astros’ sudden improvement this season has been fueled in part by George Springer and Dallas Keuchel, and new first baseman Jon Singleton looks like a contributor as well. All three were acquired during Ed Wade’s tenure as the Astros’ GM, and Wade reflects on his Astros tenure with pride, the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Drellich writes. Drellich argues that the success of players like Springer, Keuchel, Singleton and Jose Altuve (who was signed before Wade’s hiring) suggests that the team’s farm system was not as barren at the time of Wade’s departure as many analysts believed. Some of the Astros’ worst drafting was done before Wade was hired, and Wade’s trade of Hunter Pence for Singleton, Domingo Santana, Jarred Cosart and Josh Zeid stands out as a major coup. “I have a sense of pride,” says Wade, “because there were a lot of good baseball people who were involved in the process at that point in time who I think have either been forgotten about or minimized as things have gone forward.” Here are more notes from the American League.

  • Top Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, made a rehab start for Class A Aberdeen against Hudson Valley Sunday and pitched five innings and struck out six, walking none and allowing one run. The start was Bundy’s first since the 2012 season, and his strong performance surely comes as welcome news to the Orioles. Bundy was on the fast track to the Majors prior to his injury troubles, and if his rehab outings continue to go well, he could make an impact in the big leagues sooner rather than later.
  • The Red Sox plan to have Will Middlebrooks work on playing the outfield, Maureen Mullen of Boston.com writes. Middlebrooks, who has been out since last month with a finger injury, recently began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. With Stephen Drew, Xander Bogaerts and Brock Holt in the infield, there don’t figure to be many plate appearances there for Middlebrooks when he returns. Playing the outfield could allow Middlebrooks to find more playing time, and also to improve his trade value in time for next month’s deadline.

Giants Showing Strong Interest In Jeff Samardzija

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The Giants are showing strong interest in Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).  Other clubs in the picture include the Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.

Yesterday it was reported that the Cubs have already started discussing trades involving Samardzija and Jason Hammel with at least two teams.  Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times cited the Braves, Blue Jays, and Mariners as clubs that have interest in bolstering their pitching through a deal with Chicago.  Seattle is viewed as the most likely landing spot for Hammel at present.

Samardzija, who is eligible for free agency following the 2015 season, currently has a 2.77 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 91 innings.  It has been long expected that the Cubs would dangle the 29-year-old and the future-minded club should find a ripe market this summer.  The Red Sox could be a suitable trade partner given their strong pitching and catching depth in the minors and Theo Epstein’s familiarity with their system.  The Orioles, meanwhile, have top-tier pitching prospects such as Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Hunter Harvey, and Eduardo Rodriguez that they can use to entice Theo & Co.

While some of the Samardzija suitors are playing catchup, the Giants are enjoying a 6.5 game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West and the top record in baseball.  Adding the Cubs ace to their rotation would further bolster their already strong pitching.  The Giants have a team ERA of 3.22, the third best in the majors.

AL East Notes: Gausman, Yankees, Uehara, Drew, Lackey

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Orioles righty Kevin Gausman has made a strong showing in his most recent MLB stint, and that could set him up for a more permanent big league assignment, reports Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The 23-year-old came into the year rated as the 20th prospect in the game by Baseball America. Having entered the season with 71 days of service to his credit, Gausman would line himself up for potential Super Two status down the line if he can stay up for most or all of the rest of the season.

  • The latest injury news out of the Yankees’ rotation is not promising, reports Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger. Manager Joe Girardi said today that C.C. Sabathia is not expected to return until after the All-Star break, while Michael Pineda will probably be out until August at the earliest. Those updates certainly seem to increase the already-strong odds that New York will be in the market for starting pitching help at the trade deadline.
  • Red Sox closer Koji Uehara addressed his future recently, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. He said that his approaching free agency has not changed anything about how he goes to work, and indicated that he is taking things year to year at this point. “If I could change how I perform based on my free agent year, I would,” said Uehara. “But I can’t, so I’m just going to pitch how I can pitch. It doesn’t really affect me because I’m an older player. Every year I consider my last year.” As Bradford notes, it is reasonable to wonder whether Boston will consider making Uehara a qualifying offer after the season. As with last season, there are several high-performing late-inning relievers set to hit the open market, including Uehara, the Yankees’ David Robertson, Sergio Romo of the Giants, and the Jays’ Casey Janssen. Though he is throwing in his age-39 season, the righty has been nothing short of outstanding since coming to Boston on a one-year, $4.25MM deal that included an option that vested for 2014.
  • Boston CEO Larry Lucchino addressed several topics in an interview with WEEI.com’s Dennis & Callahan (story via WEEI.com’s Nick Canelas). Signing Stephen Drew made sense in part based on “the idea of paying money rather than paying prospects,” he said. While Drew is off to a rough start and is currently sidelined with an oblique injury, Lucchino says that the evaluation of the deal will still depend on how the rest of the year plays out.
  • Lucchino also touched on the situation of starter John Lackey. The club owns a league-minimum option over the starter for 2015 by operation of a vesting clause in his free agent contract. The Boston CEO said that the expectation is that Lackey will be back next year, but that it may not be at the relatively meager sum of $500K. “It depends on the circumstances,” he said. “John Lackey has been a tremendous contributor to this team this year and last. And we love having him here, and we’d like to have him here for a longer period of time. We’ll see when the time comes to negotiate whether there should be a playing out of the contract, whether there should be renegotiation with an extension. We’re open to a variety of possibilities.”

Draft Signings: Orioles, Angels, Cousino, Ockimey, More

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Here are the day’s draft signings, with slot bonus information by way of Baseball America:

  • MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Connaughton, Baltimore’s third-rounder, signed for the slot value of $428,100. Callis and his colleague Jonathan Mayo ranked Connaughton 112th prior to the draft and praised his 95 mph fastball.
  • The Orioles have announced the signing each of the first three players selected by the club: lefty Brian Gonzalez (3rd round, 90th overall, $594.2K allocation), righty Pat Connaughton (4th round, 121st overall, $428.1K allocation), and righty David Hess (5th round, 151st overall, $320.5K allocation). Actual bonuses have not yet been reported. Of course, Baltimore gave up the rights to its original first three choices by signing two qualifying offer free agents and dealing away the club’s compensation round A choice.
  • The Angels have signed 14 of the team’s selections to undisclosed bonuses, reports Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times. Among the players signed are junior righty Jeremy Rhoades (4th round, 119th overall, $436.5K allocation) and JuCo righty Jake Jewell (fifth round, 149th overall, $326.8K allocation).
  • Austin Cousino, the third-round selection of the Mariners, has agreed to terms, reports Cotillo (via Twitter). The University of Kentucky outfielder was taken at 80th overall, which comes with a $693.2K bonus allocation, though financial terms are not yet known.Baseball America and MLB.com valued Cousino in the sixth-round range.
  • Fifth-rounder Josh Ockimey has agreed to a $450K bonus with the Red Sox, tweets Cotillo. That represents a $167.2K overage against the slot value of the 164th overall choice. Ockimey is a high school first baseman from Pennsylvania.

Earlier Updates

  • The Dodgers have agreed to an at-slot, $534.4K bonus with third-round choice John Richy, tweets MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. Richy, a junior righty from UNLV, was listed as Baseball America’s 203rd-best available player entering the draft.
  • The Braves have also inked their third-round pick, Max Povse, to a below-slot $425K bonus, Mayo reports on Twitter. That delivers $89.2K in savings against the 102nd pick’s allotted bonus value. Baseball America rated the UNC-Greensboro righty at 142nd on its list of the top 500 draft prospects.
  • Sixth-round pick Max George has been added by the Rockies with a well-above-slot $620K bonus, tweets Mayo. His slot value was just $259.2K. The Colorado high school shortstop, who did not appear on the draft boards of any major analysts, had been committed to Oregon State. That overage will account for a decent chunk of the team’s savings from signing first-rounder Kyle Freeland to a below-slot deal.
  • Brewers third-rounder Cy Sneed has agreed to an under-slot $400K bonus, tweets Mayo. That represents a $241.8K savings against the 85th overall slot’s assigned value. Sneed, a junior righty from Dallas Baptist, checked in at 158th on Baseball America’s rankings.
  • The Marlins have agreed to terms with third-round choice Brian Anderson at the below-slot mark of $600K, tweets Callis. Anderson’s 76th overall slot comes with a $737.2K allotment, meaning that Miami will save about $137.2K while adding a player that Baseball America listed as the 69th best available.
  • Fourth-round choice Taylor Gushue will land a full-slot, $388.8K bonus with the Pirates, Callis reports on Twitter. Both Baseball America and MLB.com saw the University of Florida backstop as landing just outside the top 100 draft prospects.
  • Milton Ramos, who reportedly agreed with the Mets yesterday, will receive a $750K bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). That represents a $98.3K overage against the slot assessment for the 84th overall pick. Helping to make up for that, the club has also added fifth-round choice Josh Prevost with a $100K bonus that will save $239.6K against the pick’s slot value, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com.
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