- The Red Sox have signed first baseman Cody Decker, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). Decker is still looking for his first major league hit after a brief stint last year with the Padres — he did, at least, record an RBI — but he’s got little to prove as a Triple-A hitter. In nearly 1,500 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors, the 29-year-old owns a .255/.333/.501 batting line with 74 home runs.
Red Sox Rumors
Red Sox Notes: Rotation, Swihart
- The Blue Jays could find themselves competing against the majority of their own division for pitching help on the summer trade market, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. The Red Sox and Orioles, in particular, need rotation help and could challenge the Jays as they look to fortify their own collection of starters. The fact that right-hander Aaron Sanchez will inevitably move to the bullpen to limit his innings looms large over the Blue Jays, Nicholson-Smith notes, and while that move (plus the return of Brett Cecil) could eliminate a separate need for relief help, the Blue Jays are light on depth in the rotation. Right-hander Drew Hutchison is throwing well at Triple-A and is expected to return to the rotation later this summer, but as Nicholson-Smith points out, any injury to a starter after Hutchison’s return would severely compromise the team’s depth. Veteran lefty Wade LeBlanc is probably the next line of defense, and while he’s throwing brilliantly in Triple-A (1.51 ERA in 83 2/3 innings), his track record in the Majors is fairly limited.
- Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski should be fully invested in the 2016 season, even if it means parting with a prized prospect such as outfielder Andrew Benintendi or Rafael Devers in order to bolster the rotation, opines the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. With David Ortiz’s impending retirement and the brilliant performances from other members of the offense (Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Dustin Pedroia), it’s unlikely that the Sox will receive this level of across-the-board domination from their offense again, and the core of their team is controlled long enough that parting with someone such as Benintendi or Devers is manageable, Abraham writes. In addition to seeking an impact rotation arm and a quality setup piece, Abraham feels that a platoon-mate for Chris Young in left field would be a prudent investment. He suggests Jon Jay as a logical target (though clearly not in connection with Benintendi or Devers), and the fit does indeed make sense for Boston.
- Catcher/outfielder Blake Swihart could return to the Red Sox in August, writes the Boston Herald’s Evan Drellich. Dombrowski said that the team’s initial timeline on Swihart was six to eight weeks, and early August would be on the further end of that spectrum. Swihart will be reevaluated in the near future, per Dombrowski, but he didn’t seem to think there was any reason to expect a lengthier absence. Dombrowski played it cool when asked about his left field situation, praising Young’s work at the position and adding that he’s confident the team will have Swihart and Brock Holt back in the mix eventually.
Draft Signings: 6/16/2016
There are a lot of notable draft deals to work through from the last two days. Among them:
- Blue Jays second-rounder Bo Bichette announced that he’s signed a deal, which Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets is for a $1.1MM bonus. A son of long-time big leaguer Dante Bichette, the high-school shortstop landed above the $978,600 value at the 66th overall pick. Fellow second-rounder J.B. Woodman inked for $975K, Callis adds on Twitter. An outfielder from Mississippi, he also will deliver some savings to Toronto. The 57th selection came with a $1.124MM slot value. The Jays also added third-round pick Zach Jackson, Callis tweets. The Arkansas righty signed for $540K, leaving the team with $45,100 in savings.
- Another second-round pick who’s ready for a minor league assignment is C.J. Chatham, who goes to the Red Sox for $1.1MM, per MLB.com (via Twitter). Chosen 51st overall, the Florida Atlantic shortstop rated just outside the top 100 per Baseball America. His signing saves the club $132,800 against the slot value.
- The Brewers agreed with second-rounder Lucas Erceg for $1.15MM, Callis reports on Twitter. The Menlo College third baseman rated 47th on the draft board of ESPN.com’s Keith Law. He was taken 46th overall, which came with an allocation of $1,386,900.
- The Twins are in agreement with second-rounder Ben Rortvedt on a $900K bonus, per another Callis tweet. Minnesota saves $241,600 against the slot value while adding the Wisconsin high school backstop. Cotillo tweets that Twins third-rounder Griffin Jax, a righty from the Air Force Academy, has agreed to an at-slot, $645.6K bonus.
- The Dodgers agreed to a $590,800 bonus with second-round pick Mitch White, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. The Santa Clara righty ended up going for over $400K less than the 65th pick’s pool allocation, so Los Angeles can put that money to work in other areas.
- Rays third-round choice Austin Franklin signed for a $600K bonus that falls a bit shy of the $676,200 slot value, Callis tweets. Franklin is a high-school righty out of Florida.
- The Royals have an above-slot deal with third-rounder Khalil Lee, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, though the exact bonus isn’t known. Taken with the 103rd selection, the Virginia high school outfielder rated 121st on BA’s board.
- The Athletics have locked up third-rounder Sean Murphy for an at-slot, $753,100 bonus, Callis tweets. Baseball America had rated him 63rd among draft-eligible prospects, but Oakland got him with the 83rd pick.
- Bryson Brigman appears to be in agreement with the Mariners for $700K, just under the $708,200 slot value, per a tweet from Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. A shortstop from the University of San Diego, Brigman went 87th overall.
- The Giants have given an at-slot, $625,900 bonus to Heath Quinn, Callis tweets. The power-hitting Samford outfielder was taken with the team’s third-round selection.
- The Cardinals signed fourth-rounder Jeremy Martinez, a catcher from the University of Southern California, for $600K, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. That lands over the $421,600 allocation that came with the 136th selection in the draft.
- Brewers fourth-round selection Corbin Burnessigned for a slot bonus of $536,400, Callis tweets. A righty from St. Mary’s, Burnes took the 57th slot on the Baseball America draft chart on the basis of improving velocity and the possibility of sticking as a starter.
Red Sox To Sign Casey Janssen
The Red Sox have signed veteran reliever Casey Janssen to a minor league deal, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. He is expected to pitch at the Triple-A level after a preliminary trip through the low minors.
Janssen spent spring training with the Padres, but San Diego released him in late March when it became apparent he wouldn’t crack the roster. He had yet to sign with another organization since.
The 34-year-old pitched at the major league level most recently with the Nationals in 2015. He was unable to make up for a decline in fastball velocity that has worsened over the years. Despite minimizing baserunners (38 hits and eight walks in 40 frames), he was touched for five long balls and suffered from sequencing misfortune. The result was a 4.95 ERA.
Before that, Janssen had compiled an impressive eight-year run with the Blue Jays. Over 493 frames, he worked to a 3.52 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. At his best, though, from 2011 through 2013, Janssen struck out about one batter per inning with around two walks per nine while carrying a 2.46 ERA.
AL East Notes: Ubaldo, Venters, Beltran, Red Sox
Ubaldo Jimenez’s dreadful results with the Orioles this season (specifically over his past seven starts) may soon force the Orioles’ hand, writes MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. Manager Buck Showalter declined to give an inkling of the team’s intentions with Jimenez, stating: “We have to look at other possibilities, but if we do something, he’s going to hear about it from us long before he reads about it.” As Kubatko points out, that type of sentiment from Showalter in the past has typically preceded a change, and the real question surrounding Jimenez is how drastic of a move the team will make. Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun wrote last night that a release isn’t likely given the remaining money on Jimenez’s four-year deal, but Kubatko hears differently, writing that the O’s are willing to cut bait in spite of the financial considerations. Jimenez is owed about $7.89MM through the end of the season and is earning $13.5MM in 2017 as well. He has a 6.89 ERA through 62 2/3 innings this season and has seen his once blistering fastball dip to an average of just 89.8 mph.
More from the American League…
- Former Braves setup ace Jonny Venters somewhat quietly returned to the mound after his third Tommy John surgery when he tossed a scoreless inning for the Rays’ Class-A Advanced affiliate earlier this month, as MLB.com’s Sam Blum writes. The Rays signed Venters to a two-year minor league contract last season, and the plan for him is to make about five appearances with Class-A Charlotte before being moved up to Triple-A Durham. If Venters, whose fastball touched 93 mph in his first appearance with the Stone Crabs, can show Major League caliber pitches and prove capable of throwing on back-to-back days, he could get a look with the big league club. Venters tells Blum that he doesn’t feel bad for himself whatsoever even after all of his arm woes, rather that he feels fortunate to have accomplished what he has in his career and to still have a chance. Blum also spoke to Venters’ former teammate Craig Kimbrel about the 31-year-old’s long journey back to the mound. “It shows a lot about who he is,” said Kimbrel. “He has some of the nastiest pitches, pure stuff in the game. … He’s giving everything he’s got. It’s special to be able to play this game, and he feels like he can still do it.” Venters, who has a career 2.23 ERA in 229 2/3 MLB innings, is looking to become the second pitcher to ever return from a third TJ operation, joining Jason Isringhausen.
- While Carlos Beltran is having a strong season and would love to remain with the Yankees beyond 2016, the team has yet to reach out to the free-agent-to-be about a new contract, reports Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. Beltran has said he’d like to play for another two seasons beyond this one, Bloom adds. The 39-year-old slugger is hitting .277/.313/.554 with 16 homers on the season, placing him just three long balls shy of last season’s total of 19. As Bloom points out, Beltran’s excellent season is only further adding to a very legitimate Hall of Fame case; he ranks fourth among active players in WAR and reached a pair of notable milestones this season, belting his 400th homer and recording his 2500th hit (his 1500th RBI isn’t far off, either). Bloom spoke to both skippers who were present at Yankee Stadium this weekend — Joe Girardi and Brad Ausmus (a former teammate of Beltran) — and both said they think he’s already earned a spot in Cooperstown regardless of how the remainder of his career plays out.
- While the Red Sox are reportedly seeking both starters and relievers on the trade market, skipper John Farrell wouldn’t identify specific trade needs for his club when asked by WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Instead, Farrell chose to focus his comments on a need to get his team’s best players healthy. Farrell specifically mentioned Brock Holt, who has yet to pass IMPACT testing to clear him to return from the concussion he is currently battling. Farrell also took the opportunity to praise the replacement for Holt (and Blake Swihart), Chris Young, for his contributions in the clubhouse and on the diamond. Meanwhile, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald tweeted yesterday that Farrell later added the hope for Holt is that he’ll be able to embark on a minor league rehab assignment this week.
Red Sox Take Jason Groome Despite Makeup Whispers
- The Red Sox got an unusual talent with the 12th overall pick in the draft in New Jersey high school hurler Jason Groome, but he comes with question marks, the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato writes. Groome’s draft stock fell due to questions about his makeup, although their nature mostly remains in the shadows. Mastrodonato writes that Vanderbilt University, to which Groome had previously been committed, lost interest in Groome for reasons that did not have to do with his baseball ability. Nonetheless, the Red Sox were enthused about his upside and unfazed by makeup questions. “We’re very comfortable we know who Jason Groome is,” Red Sox scouting director Mike Rikard says. Prior to the draft, MLB.com rated Groome the top talent available, noting his 6-foot-6 size, good velocity and potential to throw three quality pitches.
Red Sox Interested In Both Starters And Relievers
The Red Sox are telling other clubs that they have interest in exploring trades for both starters and relievers this summer, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. It’s all preparatory work at this point, rather than specific trade discussions, but it appears that the club’s path is beginning to be charted.
Boston’s rotation has been marked by intrigue for some time, with Steven Wright’s emergence, Eduardo Rodriguez’s return from injury, and the struggles of Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly among the storylines. While David Price remains the staff ace, with Rick Porcello also locked into a spot, it appears that the team could look either to bolster its depth with a solid veteran or add another top-tier option.
The bullpen, meanwhile, has seen its share of impressive performances and looks to be a strong unit overall. But the loss of Carson Smith and some concerns with Koji Uehara — who, it should be noted, still carries outstanding peripherals — raise the possibility of adding another impact late-inning arm. It’s certainly possible to imagine the organization targeting a power southpaw if it does so. Robbie Ross has signifcantly boosted his swinging strike rate, which is promising, but Tommy Layne continues to issue too many walks and hasn’t been as effective as usual against opposing lefties.
As Drellich notes, while the focus may be on arms, it remains plausible to imagine a move for an outfielder as well. He opines that the club could pursue a left-handed-hitting platoon partner for Chris Young or chase a bigger piece to take over regular duties in left field.
Red Sox Notes: Swihart, Kelly, Pitching, Hanley
Red Sox catcher/outfielder Blake Swihart appears to be dealing with a fairly significant ankle injury, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald tweets. For now, he’s in a hard cast, and skipper John Farrell declined to address whether or not the injury could sideline him for the entire season. The club is expected to assess the options in two weeks’ time. Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal asks whether the loss of Swihart, who just joined Brock Holt on the DL, means it’s time for the team to go find a left fielder via trade. Boston doesn’t seem inclined to lean on Rusney Castillo, and prefers Chris Young in a fourth-outfielder role. MacPherson ticks through a few trade possibilities.
- Adding to the pitching questions facing the Red Sox, righty Joe Kelly left his Triple-A start yesterday with a groin injury, as Bill Koch of the Providence Journal reports. There’s no indication yet on his prognosis, and Kelly has struggled to establish himself at the majors, but the club can scarcely part with any depth at this point. It’s worth noting, too, that some have suggested the team consider shifting the power righty to the bullpen, so any loss could tell in that department as well.
- The Red Sox face a tall task in adding a starter, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines. For one thing, the market could be thin; for another, some injuries to and performance dips from upper-level prospects have reduced the club’s pool of trade chips. Tim Britton of the Providence Journal looks at some rotation options for Boston, and his list of possibilities largely validates Cafardo’s outlook.
- There have been plenty of good vibes and positive signs from Hanley Ramirez this year, but Alex Speier of the Boston Globe wonders whether we’re seeing a larger decline from the Red Sox first baseman. As Speier explains, Ramirez is exhibiting troubling signs of a loss of power and erosion of ability to make frequent and good contact.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Sanchez, Sox, Kim
There’s been plenty of ink dedicated to the idea of the Yankees parting with one of their left-handed bullpen aces, Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller, but the club’s top execs aren’t planning on trading anyone in the near future, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Heyman cites “senior Yankees executives” in conveying that the team’s top decision-makers held a conference call last night and determined that there won’t be any action in the near term, though the club could reevaluate that line of thinking closer to the end of July. Many have speculated that the Yankees, in need of rotation depth as well as some help at the infield corners, could deal Chapman or Miller to add a younger big league piece elsewhere on the roster. Carlos Beltran’s name also crept up in speculation last month, but it would appear that the Yankees, currently 26-30 and 6.5 games back in the division, will stay the course for the time being.
Here’s more from the AL East…
- Aaron Sanchez’s breakout season will leave the Blue Jays with some tough decisions in a couple of months, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Jays clearly made the right call by entrusting Sanchez with a spot in the rotation this spring, Nicholson-Smith points out, but the team also said back in March that he’d eventually transition to the bullpen later this season as a means of managing his innings total. Sanchez has been dominant in 2016, posting a 2.99 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a lofty 58.5 percent ground-ball rate across 72 1/3 innings. Pitching coach Pete Walker tells Nicholson-Smith that the Jays typically map out their plans for the pitching staff a month in advance, so he’s taking the Sanchez debate on a month-to-month basis. The 23-year-old Sanchez totaled just 102 innings between the Majors and minors last season, so it’s understandable that Toronto isn’t thrilled with the notion of seeing one of its most valuable long-term pieces double his 2015 innings total with a full season of starts.
- The struggles of Eduardo Rodriguez in yesterday’s loss underscores the Red Sox’ need to trade for rotation help, opines Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Silverman notes that the club has watched Rick Porcello slow down considerably since an explosive start to the season, while David Price has yet to hit the stride that most expect of the former Cy Young winner. Beyond that, Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly have pitched themselves out of rotation jobs. Steven Wright has been a pleasant surprise, but his breakout alone won’t sustain a four-man rotation that already needs a fifth option. Boston has already seen one trade option come off the market, as the White Sox picked up James Shields from the Padres with a rare early-June trade of fairly significant magnitude.
- Hyun Soo Kim’s turnaround since Spring Training has been remarkable, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, who spoke to a scout from outside the Orioles organization that said he’s had to tear up the March scouting report he’d compiled on Kim. Baltimore signed Kim to a two-year, $7MM contract this winter on the heels of an impressive run in the Korea Baseball Organization, but the man nicknamed the “Hitting Machine” in Korea looked overmatched (or “scared,” as the scout put it to Kubatko) at the plate in Spring Training. To say Kim, who is hitting .377/.449/.493 through an admittedly small sample of 78 plate appearances, has adjusted nicely would appear to be an understatement. Manager Buck Showalter praised Kim for his adjustments to harder velocity and said he routinely checks in with Kim and his interpreter to see if there’s anything the club can do to continue to ease the transition from Korea to America. Kim, however, tells Showalter that he’s “having the time of his life” now that he is getting a chance to contribute in the Majors.
Blake Swihart Has "Severe" Ankle Sprain
- Red Sox catcher/left fielder Blake Swihart landed on the disabled list earlier today with a left ankle sprain, and manager John Farrell revealed that he won’t be back within the 15-day window. Farrell called the sprain “severe” and added that Swihart will be immobilized for two weeks, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald was among those to report (Twitter link). With fellow left field option Brock Holt also out, the Red Sox are down to Chris Young and Rusney Castillo at the position.
