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Red Sox Sign Rafael Devers, Emmanuel DeJesus

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AUG. 9: The Devers signing is now official, as the 16-year-old signed his contract today, according to Badler. 

JULY 2: The Red Sox made an international splash today, signing Dominican third baseman Rafael Devers for $1.5MM according to a tweet from Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes.  Devers, perhaps the best left-handed hitter on the market, was ranked third among this year's class of international prospects by Baseball America's Ben Badler, and sixth by MLB.com.  The Sox also agreed in principle with Venezuelan lefty Emmanuel DeJesus on a deal worth $780K, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.

Devers, 16, has average raw power that could become above-average, according to Badler.  He needs work defensively but has an "advanced feel for hitting," writes Badler.  DeJesus' stuff has some similarities to Felix Doubront, and Badler noted Boston's interest in the past.  MLB.com ranked him 24th, noting that he "could end up in the bullpen one day."

The Red Sox have the seventh-largest international bonus pool at $3,179,900, according to BA.  They appear to have about $900K remaining after these two signings.     

East Links: Napoli, Sox, Stanton, Schierholtz, Yanks

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There has been plenty of news out of baseball's Eastern divisions already today; the Phillies' agreement with Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez is in jeopardy, the Blue Jays released Michael Schwimer and Alex Rodriguez has officially filed an appeal of his 211-game suspension. Here's more on a releatively busy August day for MLB's east coast teams…

  • An MRI on Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli's hips showed that his avascular necrosis (a degenerative hip condition he learned he had last offseason) has not worsened, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford spoke to Napoli about his upcoming free agency, and Napoli said he feels more at ease this time around and is relieved to know that his condition hasn't worsened.
  • John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that Red Sox DH David Ortiz doesn't think last year's team would have rallied to erase a 5-0 defecit and defeat the Astros 15-10 as they did last night. “I would say it was a lot of things going on and I don't think a lot of guys were focused on the things that we need to do to win ballgames.” Ortiz went on to praise Boston GM Ben Cherington and the team's front office for making tough decisions and reworking the entire organization in such a short time.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins never got to the point where they even received specific names in trade proposals for Giancarlo Stanton this July. Four high-ranking officials shot down a rumored blockbuster proposal from the Pirates involving Starling Marte and Gerrit Cole. Frisaro adds that the Marlins want to build around Stanton and will discuss a long-term contract this offseason.
  • There was less risk to keeping Nate Schierholtz around than there was in non-tendering him for the Phillies last offseason, opines David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Murphy questions GM Ruben Amaro Jr.'s claim that the team couldn't get a good look at Schierholtz last season as he missed time with a broken toe shortly after being acquired, noting that team could've tendered him a contract and just traded him at the end of Spring Training if they weren't impressed. However, as Murphy notes, Schierholtz alone would not have come close to solving all of the Phillies' 2013 problems.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman is operating under the assumption that he will have A-Rod for the remainder of the season, but he's also scouting the trade market for secondary options, writes MLB.com's Joey Nowak.

International Notes: Devers, Encarnacion, Ruiz

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While most of the top international prospects from this year's July 2 crop have signed, a few notables remain unsigned. Here's the latest on some of Latin America's top prospects, courtesy of Baseball America's Ben Badler…

  • The Red Sox are expected to officially sign No. 3 international prospect Rafael Devers on Friday, Badler tweets. Boston reportedly reached a $1.5MM agreement with the Dominican third baseman back on July 2.
  • Badler also tweets that No. 4 international prospect Luis Encarnacion turns 16 on Friday, at which point he will be eligible to sign. Badler adds that he will be "shocked" if the Phillies don't sign the power-hitting third baseman.
  • One more from Badler, who writes that 19-year-old Cuban right-hander Norge Ruiz has cemented himself as a rising star in the eyes of scouts (subscription required). He's just 5'10" and 170 pounds, but Ruiz worked at 89-94 mph and flashed terrific command of two plus breaking pitches against the U.S. College national team last month.

Quick Hits: Flores, Rowland-Smith, Cherington, Cruz

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Top Mets prospect Wilmer Flores will be promoted to the Majors on Tuesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports. Flores, an infielder, didn't rank in any major outlets' top 100 prospect lists at the beginning of the season, but he might if those lists were published now — he's hitting .322/.358/.532 in Triple-A (albeit in the excellent hitting environment of Las Vegas), and today is his 22nd birthday. Newsday's Marc Carig notes (on Twitter) that with David Wright on the disabled list, the Mets will likely use Flores at third base. Here are more notes from around the Majors.

  • Pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith had an August 5 out clause in his minor-league deal with the Red Sox, but he will not exercise it, and will instead stay with Triple-A Pawtucket, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish tweets. Rowland-Smith has a 1.58 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 for Pawtucket this season. His opt-out date had been pushed back to August after he missed most of July following an appendectomy. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that, now that the August 5 date has passed, Rowland-Smith can opt out of his deal if any team offers him a spot on its active roster.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington has emerged as one of baseball's best executives, WEEI.com's Mike Salk writes. After an awful 2012 season, the Sox have the third-best record in the Majors, behind only the Pirates and Braves. Salk chalks that up to the addition of more depth, character and chemistry to the roster, as well as to Cherington's hiring of John Farrell as the Red Sox's manager.
  • The Rangers are preparing to be without Nelson Cruz now that Cruz has been suspended for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, T.R. Sullivan and William Boor of MLB.com report. The Rangers have promoted outfielders Joey Butler and Engel Beltre, and on Monday they started Beltre along with Leonys Martin and David Murphy, giving the Rangers an all-left-handed outfield. That left three righties — Butler, Craig Gentry and Jeff Baker — on the Rangers' bench, suggesting the possibility of platooning all three outfield spots. "We're going to use the whole roster and continue to play Texas Rangers baseball," says Rangers manager Ron Washington. The Rangers are still trying to trade for an outfielder, but GM Jon Daniels suggests that the waiver rules governing August trades will make it difficult for Texas to pull off a deal.

Cafardo On Morneau, Lincecum, Pence, Polanco

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that he is surprised to see the Yankees still in the wild card hunt despite all of the chaos they have endured this season.  The chaos he refers to, of course, mostly has to do with Alex Rodriguez.  The silver lining there is that if they throw the book at A-Rod, then they'll be in position to add to the team via free agency.  “The one thing the Yankees don’t have, they don’t have those guys in the minors that can come up and make an impact for them,” said an American League exec. “They won’t have that for a couple of years. So, if they’re going to do a Red Sox-type rebuild, they have a disadvantage. Where Boston has a number of pitchers and positional prospects ready to make an impact, the Yankees don’t. So, they still have to make their impact through free agency and possibly trades.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • The Twins believe they had enough interest in Justin Morneau that if he continues to hit well and shows power, he could be moved to a contender in a waiver deal.  The Blue Jays might claim him but the Rays, Orioles, and Indians might also have some interest.
  • Giants righty Tim Lincecum could be a big fish that goes in a waiver deal as some teams like him as a valuable bullpen piece down the stretch. The Giants weren’t offered anything good enough at the deadline, but given his $22MM salary and the fact he’s in the final year of his deal, the Giants may want to free themselves shortly. 
  • Giants outfielder Hunter Pence will be a free agent but he really wants to stay put and he has expressed that to GM Brian Sabean.  However, Sabean told him that if something knocked their socks off they would move him — but nothing materialized.  He could be another movable part during August, but the Giants plan to make him a qualifying offer and then try to re-sign him long term.
  • Marlins third baseman Placido Polanco is 37 and isn't the strongest fielder, but he remains a possible target for teams such as the Red Sox and Yankees, who need a veteran presence and a guy who can still hit from the right side.
  • Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman tried to get Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz from the Phillies.  Though neither deal happened, they are both possibilities as waiver deals during the month of August.  However, Cafardo notes that Ruiz might not make it past the NL teams in the waiver process.
  • Royals right-hander Ervin Santana could theoretically be moved during the waiver period, but it looks like he’s in Kansas City to stay.  As one GM said, “He might be the biggest target going in August. Doubt he gets too far, though.” 
  • When asking General Managers which former GM they miss the most, J.P. Ricciardi got the most responses.  Many believe Ricciardi will be a GM again, whether it’s taking over for Sandy Alderson when he wants to step down with the Mets, or with another club.  Cafardo runs down Ricciardi's highlights in Toronto and notes that he was working with the club when their wasn't money to work with.

Red Sox Notes: August Trades, Ross

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Red Sox owner John Henry has apparently agreed to purchase the storied Boston Globe for less than his team spent to acquire pitcher John Lackey, the Wall Street Journal's Brian Costa observes on Twitter. It is definitely an interesting point to ponder. A few other notes out of Boston …

  • Last year, the Red Sox swung perhaps the biggest deal of the trade season after the deadline. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca recently listed ten players who could swap teams during the coming month. Among them are former Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and rumored trade target Cliff Lee of the Phillies, as well as several veteran relievers that could interest contenders such as Boston.
  • Former Sox outfielder Cody Ross returned to Fenway with a vengeance last night, banging out four hits (including a tie-breaking home run and two doubles), scoring twice, driving in three, and swiping a bag for good measure. After his impressive performance, he said that he harbors "no hard feelings toward anybody in [the Red Sox] organization." 
  • Before the contest, however, Ross spoke candidly about his negotiations with Boston last year both before and during his free agency. As WEEI.com's Jerry Spar reports, Ross says that the team "basically lied to [his] face" by telling him that it was unwilling to sign long-term deals and then doing so for other players. Ross explained that he told the team candidly that he wanted to return, which he felt may have tipped his hand in negotiations. With the sides unable to agree on years or value, and Ross left feeling betrayed, he felt it was time to move on.

AL Notes: Red Sox, White Sox, Blue Jays

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It's been a quiet day around baseball. There was, however, some interesting news out of Boston, with Peter Gammons reporting on the GammonsDaily.com that Red Sox principal owner John Henry has been chosen to purchase the Boston Globe from the New York Times Corporation. Elsewhere around the American League …

  • With Boston's prospect depth at the upper levels of the minor leagues, says Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via WEEI.com), the team is primed to be "devastatingly good the next five years if they play their cards right." Passan praises the organization for not dipping into that group in acquiring Jake Peavy at the trade deadline.
  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn discussed a range of topics in a fascinating interview with Matt Spiegel and Ben Finfer of Chicago's 670 The Score (hat tip to South Side Sox). While he said that fans should expect to see "other moves like" the trade of Jake Peavy over the immediate future, Hahn declined to say that the club could not compete by 2015. Hahn indicated that he thinks the team's "transition" can be relatively short given the organization's pitching base and the growth of its international signings over the last few seasons.
  • Discussing this year's deadline, Hahn explained that the priority was to return value for relievers Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain, both of whom are set for free agency. After that was accomplished, Chicago did not need to "force anything" since other chips could be dealt during August or the offseason. Hence, the Sox feel that the Peavy deal was justified because it opened payroll flexibility and returned Avisail Garcia, who Hahn views as a nearly MLB-ready, potential impact corner outfielder. 
  • We should expect the Blue Jays to try and pass their entire roster through waivers over the course of August, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. He notes that GM Alex Anthopoulos believes in testing the market to the full extent possible.

Brandon Lyon Exercises Opt-Out Clause

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Brandon Lyon exercised the opt-out clause in his contract and was granted his release from the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate, the minor-league club announced. Lyon, 33, did so after learning there wasn't a spot available for him in the major league team's bullpen, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets.

Lyon logged 5 1/3 innings with 1.69 ERA for the Pawtucket Red Sox since inking a minor-league deal in July. He's already seen significant time in the majors with the Mets this season, and was excellent in his first 31 1/3 innings, posting a 3.16 ERA. However, he proceeded to give up eight runs in his next three innings, prompting the Mets to designate him for assignment shortly thereafter. In 681 1/3 major league innings, Lyon owns a 4.16 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

AL East Notes: Yankees, O’s, Norris, Jays

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The non-waiver trade deadline is in the rear-view mirror, but there could still be some deals happening in August. For a recap of all the trading action pertaining to the AL East, check out Jeff Todd's recap and analysis from last night. Here are more deadline-related links pertaining to the AL East…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that he had lots of late conversations as yesterday's deadline approached, but he was unable to cross the finish line with any deals, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  
  • The Orioles were extremely active leading up to the deadline but also looked to make another move by acquiring a right-handed bat, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  While that didn't come together, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is still enthused about the additions of Scott Feldman, Bud Norris, and Francisco Rodriguez.
  • Several front office execs told Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) they view Norris as a potential setup guy who would likely reach the upper 90s with a plus slider in that role.  
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters on a conference call, including Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com, that there wasn't much happening leading up to the deadline.  "It was pretty quiet overall," Anthopoulos said. "We weren't going to be involved in rentals unless it was a no-brainer, and anything we were going to do was going to help us not only in the current year but moving forward."
  • While nothing came together for the Blue Jays, AA admitted that he's always on the lookout for a starter given the way the rotation has been this year, according to Chisholm in his transcript of the call. 
  • With Jose Iglesias gone, Will Middlebrooks and Xander Bogaerts are on deck for the Red Sox at third base, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. 
  • In a conference call with reporters, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington explained that if he was going to give up a long-term asset for pitching help, he wanted someone who could be a part of the club's plans beyond this season, which led him to Jake Peavy, Lauber writes.  “We went into the deadline feeling like if we could make a move to improve the team and protect our chances to compete and give us every chance to get into October we wanted to do that,” Cherington said. “We wanted to do it in a way that’s not all about this year, preferably, and we were able to find this deal that fit in that category.” 

Prospect Rumor Roundup: Elite Shortstops

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Is this the beginning of a new era for shortstops?

Four publications — Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus (subscription required), Keith Law at ESPN (subscription required), and FanGraphs (compiled by yours truly) — recently released their midseason Top 50 prospects lists. The rankings featured as many as eight elite shortstop prospects. That position is widely considered to be the most important (non-pitcher) spot on the baseball field and those potential star athletes are highly-sought-after commodities on the open market, through trades and via the draft.

Of those eight prospects featured on the four lists, five of the players are found in American League organizations, suggesting we may be soon entering another Era of the Shortstop, similar to what we experienced in the early 2000s with the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, and Miguel Tejada in the AL.

Let's have a closer look at those eight shortstop prospects… 

1. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox: Bogaerts was the highest ranked shortstop on all four lists. Boston is clearly planning for the day that the Aruba native is ready to contribute at the big league level as they recently had him playing games at the hot corner — an area of weakness for the playoff hungry club. However, the recent trade of Jose Iglesias, as well as the pending free agency of veteran Stephen Drew, should provide a clear path to the Major League shortstop job for Bogaerts, who has more than held his own at the Triple-A level.

2. Francisco Lindor, Indians: Just 19, Cleveland's top shortstop prospect earned a mid-season promotion from High-A to Double-A after a strong showing both in the field and at the plate. Veteran incumbent Asdrubal Cabrera's uninspired 2013 season could help convince the front office that his time with the organization is coming to an end. Lindor, who is only in his third professional season, could be ready for the Majors by the middle of 2014. He could develop into a perennial Gold Glove winner at shortstop. 

3. Carlos Correa, Astros: The first overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, Correa has produced above-average offensive numbers in Low-A ball despite being just 18 years of age. The Puerto Rico native has shown a natural hitting ability, but he has yet to tap into his raw power. There are concerns that he'll eventually outgrow shortstop, but he should have the offensive chops to be an above-average player at just about any position on the field.

4. Javier Baez, Cubs: Baez has arguably the best raw power out of any player on this list, and he already has 27 home runs in 98 games this year. Like Lindor (a fellow 2011 first-round draft pick), he's already reached Double-A. Unlike the Indians prospect, though, his offensive game is raw. He has a very aggressive approach at the plate, which has resulted in just 29 walks with 111 strikeouts in 391 at-bats. As is the case with Correa, there has been some talk of moving Baez to third base. However, with fellow prospect Mike Olt (recently acquired from the Rangers) – a plus defender at the hot corner —  that move doesn't make a ton of sense now. He could also move out to right field, but the Cubs organization features a lot of depth in that area. If and when everything clicks for Baez, though, Chicago will certainly find a spot for him.

5. Addison Russell, Athletics: Russell, a 2012 first-rounder, burst onto the prospect landscape in a big way last season. His strong play earned him an aggressive assignment to High-A ball to open the 2013 season despite being just 19 years old. He struggled in the first two months of the season but has posted an OPS near 1.000 during the past two months. Russell probably won't be ready until 2015, so current big league shortstop Jed Lowrie likely has one more season of job security before he finds himself at another position or on another club.

6. Alen Hanson, Pirates: The emergence of Jordy Mercer has added some middle infield stability at the big league level for the Pirates but he's not likely to be the long-term answer at shortstop. Hanson, 20, is the best in-house option to eventually take over the position — although his name has popped up more than a few times in recent trade rumors. After a strong showing in High-A ball, the Dominican native was recently promoted to Double-A. The switch-hitter has shown the ability to steal 20-30 bases with solid line-drive pop. 

7. Raul Mondesi, Royals: Previously known as Adalberto Mondesi, this shortstop prospect is one of the youngest players in full-season ball, having just recently turned 18. His inexperience has shown in 2013, and he walked just four times in May and June. His raw ability is undeniable, though, and he's made adjustments with a strong month of July — including 13 walks and his highest monthly OPS of the year at .817.   

8. Corey Seager, Dodgers: Seager — whose brother Kyle Seager plays for the Mariners — is perhaps the most underrated shortstop on this list. The teenager has enjoyed his time in the Midwest League, and he's been on fire over the summer months with an OPS approaching 1.000. He's also slugged eight of his 11 home runs in June and July. Like Correa, Seager is expected to outgrow shortstop but he's shown enough skill at the position to suggest he may be able to stick there for a few more years. He's likely at least two seasons away from reaching Los Angeles. 

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