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Quick Hits: Hardy, Betts, Mets, Hinshaw

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In his 65th game of the season, J.J. Hardy launched his first home run of 2014 off Yankees reliever Jose Ramirez. Hardy, who will turn 32 years old in August, has hit at least 22 home runs in each of the last three seasons. He’s in the final year of a three-year, $22.5MM contract with the Orioles. Despite the power outage, he hasn’t been a total loss at the plate with a .288/.317/.354 line entering today. Aside from home runs, Hardy is best known for superb defense at shortstop, so he should have suitors lined up regardless of his offensive value. Obviously, a return to his previous home run bashing ways will improve his leverage as a free agent.

  • Mookie Betts may be moving closer to a major league promotion, speculates Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Red Sox manager John Farrell mentioned Betts unprompted when asked about recent signee Andres Torres, saying “I know Mookie Betts is swinging the bat well.” Betts natural position is second base, but he’s been learning the outfield due to the presence of incumbent Dustin Pedroia. According to leaderboards available at FanGraphs, Red Sox outfielders rank third to last in baseball with a .233/.310/.339 line. A shot in the arm appears justified.
  • Rather than trade for an elite slugger like Giancarlo Stanton, the Mets may employ a strategy similar to the Rays and Athletics, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. To further reinforce Martino’s point, one Mets official asks “what big bat is out there to trade for?” With the Marlins in the playoff race, Carlos Gonzalez on the disabled list, and Matt Kemp underperforming his contract, there aren’t many places to look for franchise altering bats. Instead, it might be easier to find and develop hidden values like Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, and Ben Zobrist. Mets fans who are waiting to turn Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler into a superstar are liable to be disappointed.
  • The Cubs are the only team jumping into the trade market with both feet according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. GMs are cautious about pulling the plug too quickly, which keeps negotiations from moving forward until the deadline approaches. League wide parity and the second Wild Card have conspired to allow most teams to dream of contention. There’s also the annual game of roster chicken. Says one AL executive, “Everyone overvalues their prospects and they wait because they are always convinced the prices are going to come down.”
  • Former big league lefty Alex Hinshaw is once again drawing the interest of major league teams, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith. The 31-year-old is now pitching for the Independent League Wichita Wingnuts, with 18 strikeouts in eight and two-thirds innings. He last spent time in the majors in 2012, when he threw 28 innings for the Padres and one-third of an inning for the Cubs. Walks plagued Hinshaw, as evidenced by his 6.04 ERA, 11.44 K/9, and 6.67 BB/9.

Draft Signings: Karsten Whitson

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We’ll keep track of Saturday’s notable mid-to-late draft signings here…

  • The Red Sox have signed 11th round selection Karsten Whitson for $100,000, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Whitson was formerly selected ninth overall in the 2010 Rule 4 draft by the Padres, but he turned down a $2.1MM bonus to attend the University of Florida. Speier adds that Whitson was recently gunned at 96 mph with an 88 mph slider (via Twitter).

Sizemore Drawing Interest From Phillies, Others

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SATURDAY: Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock says he isn’t aware of any contact between the Phillies and Sizemore, Marc Narducci of the Inquirer writes. Proefrock notes that the Phillies were interested in Sizemore in the offseason, but says, “There is not any [contact] that I am aware of, but Ruben [Amaro] may be doing something, but I am not aware of anything.”

FRIDAY: Grady Sizemore officially cleared release waivers earlier this afternoon and became a free agent, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted. Now that he’s on the open market, multiple clubs are interested, making it unlikely that he would sign a minor league deal and head to Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports adds (also via Twitter) that the Phillies, among other teams, have reached out. Meanwhile Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tells one of his followers that the Twins haven’t reached out to their former AL Central rival.

Sizemore’s return to the Majors was quite the story early this season. Not only did he improbably make the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster after signing a one-year, $750K contract — he clubbed a solo homer in the opener and batted .343/.395/.571 with a pair of big flies in his first 10 games. However, from that point forth, Sizemore batted just .187/.263/.267 in 167 trips to the plate. That performance led to his release, despite a glaring need for outfield help in Boston.

For the Phillies, Sizemore would be a reasonable outfield gamble despite his struggles. Philadelphia outfielders have batted a combined .245/.298/.374 this season. Combined with their poor defensive play, they’ve come in below replacement level as a group, per Fangraphs.

Minor Moves: Kyle Stroup, Matt Packer, Cody Eppley

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We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves here:

  • WEEI.com’s Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox have released right-hander Kyle Stroup (Twitter links). As Speier explains, the former 50th-round pick was considered a steal as an up-and-coming prospect, but he blew out both ACLs in a span of three seasons and was never able to rediscover the promise he showed prior to his injuries.
  • The Indians announced (on Twitter) that Double-A southpaw Matt Packer has been released. A 32nd-round pick in 2009, Packer reached Triple-A as a 24-year-old in 2012 but struggled to a 5.50 ERA. He went back to Double-A and enjoyed a strong campaign in 2013, pitching to a 3.27 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 154 innings. However, he faltered in his only two appearances of the season earlier this month. Packer has dealt with shoulder injuries throughout his minor league career but has been effective when healthy.
  • The Pirates have released righty Cody Eppley, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). The 28-year-old had been working as a reliever at Triple-A Indianapolis, and carried a 6.43 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 through 14 innings. Eppley had a strong 2012 season with the Yankees but has not returned to that form since.
  • MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows three names still in limbo: Evan Reed (Tigers), Josh Outman (Indians), and Josh Stinson (Orioles).

Deadline Notes: Utley, Rollins, Mayberry, Royals, Yankees, Mets

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There’s been quite a bit of chatter regarding Jeff Samardzija and the rest of the Cubs’ pitchers over the past few days, due largely to the fact that everyone is aware the Cubs will be sellers at this summer’s non-waiver trade deadline. For other clubs, the trade picture isn’t so clear. Here are some notes on players that are potential trade targets and on which clubs should buy and which should sell…

  • Phillies president David Montgomery tells Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the club can’t be stubborn and close itself off from trading certain players if it’s the best thing for the team — and that includes longtime cornerstones Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Referring to Utley, Montgomery noted that he’d like his second baseman to remain with the club beyond his playing days. Of course, both players have 10-and-5 rights and can veto any trade.
  • For his part, Rollins softened his stance on waiving his no-trade rights after surpassing Mike Schmidt for the franchise hits lead this weekend, Gelb notes. Said Rollins: “It really depends if everything is blown up. Then, you take that into consideration. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about that right now. But if that time does come, and it’s time to go … people move on.”
  • Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that the Red Sox and Yankees have some interest in John Mayberry Jr. as outfield depth. Boston has scouted several recent Phillies games, and one “plugged-in Major League source” tells Salisbury that the Yankees are a team to watch in regards to Mayberry as well.
  • In an ESPN Insider piece, Dan Szymborski opines that the Royals need to make a bold acquisition in an attempt to take the AL Central. Szymborski’s ZiPS projection system has the Royals as a 50-50 chance to make the playoffs and a 29 percent chance to win the division right now. With five regular position players ranking at or below replacement level (per Baseball-Reference), the team needs to make a splash, as the Tigers are far more vulnerable than most expected. He suggests that third base and right field are the two most viable spots, listing Aaron Hill, Ben Zobrist and Chase Headley as possible targets.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman expects to make a trade or multiple trades this July, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. “I feel that we need to get better from within, and I think I can speed up the process if I run into something outside at the same time,” said Cashman. “We usually make moves every year, so I expect to make moves again.” Bloom runs down a list of trade targets and notes that the stock of Dellin Betances has skyrocketed this season, though he wonders if Cashman would be willing to include a potential future closer for a short-term fix. Cashman said he didn’t want to wait to make a move but added that prices are often highest early on in trade season.
  • Though Joel Sherman of the New York Post said not long ago that the Mets should act boldly as buyers, the team’s recent woes have him convinced that the opposite may now be true. After a 4-11 skid, he writes that the Mets should deal two of Jon Niese, Bartolo Colon and Dillon Gee this summer and also make Daniel Murphy available in trades. Doing so will bring back valuable offensive prospects and position the Mets well for a high draft pick in 2015. He notes that Sandy Alderson’s regime has done well in trades, bringing in Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Travis d’Arnaud, Vic Black and Dilson Herrera by trading veteran pieces.

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.
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