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Yankees Sign Luis Torrens

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The Yankees have signed Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens for $1.3MM, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Torrens is ranked as the second-best international prospect in this July 2nd class.

The 16-year-old is a former shortstop and third baseman who converted to catcher in February.  Staying behind the plate would obviously enhance Torrens' value but Badler writes that teams have been drawn to him for his bat.  The Yankees have a connection with Torrens as he trained with the club's international scouting director Carlos Rios. 

Minor Moves: Danny Farquhar

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here…

  • Danny Farquhar has cleared waivers and rejoined Double-A Trenton, tweets Mike Ashmore of The Trentonian. The Yankees designated the right-hander for assignment on Friday to clear space on the 40-man roster for Chris Schwinden, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians. Farquhar, 25, made his big league debut this season and appeared in three games for the Blue Jays. 

Yankees Acquire Chad Qualls

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4:08 pm: The Yankees have designated infielder Matt Antonelli for assignment to make room for Qualls on their 40-man roster, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees had claimed Antonelli on waivers from the Orioles in May.

3:38 pm: The Yankees announced they have acquired reliever Chad Qualls from the Phillies for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Phillies had designated Qualls for assignment on Thursday. This is the second trade in as many days for the Phillies, who dealt Jim Thome to the Orioles yesterday for a pair of Class A prospects.

The Yankees needed to supplement their bullpen with the recent struggles of Cory Wade and the promotion of Freddy Garcia to the starting rotation because of injuries to C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. Qualls has struggled himself in 2012 with a 4.60 ERA in a team-high 35 games for the Phillies. 

AL East Notes: Bautista, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees

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Over the weekend we learned that the Blue Jays are looking to upgrade their rotation as the deal with a rash of injuries.  Toronto recently sent multiple scouts to at least two of Wandy Rodriguez’s starts and has also maintained contact with the Cubs about Matt Garza.  Here's more on the Blue Jays and the rest of the AL East..

  • Jose Bautista told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com that he wants to see the club make a big push at the deadline.  "Let’s go for it,” Bautista said. “Hopefully, the change is made now. We’re in a position, in the middle of the season, to compete for a playoff spot. A lot of people maybe have forgotten about the extra wild card, but I certainly haven’t. There was a lot of talk about it in spring training, and I haven’t heard much since."
  • The Rays signed Dominican catcher Erick Maria for $300K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Maria was known as Eric Otanez when he signed with Tampa Bay last year before the deal was declared ineligible thanks to an inaccurate birthdate.  Maria has developed into a better prospect than he was a year ago but he appears to have remained loyal to the Rays to honor his original deal.
  • No one realized exactly how important the Hiroki Kuroda signing would be for the Yankees this season, writes David Lennon of Newsday.  Kuroda, who signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Bombers, has stepped up for the club in the wake of the ill-fated Michael Pineda trade.

Cafardo On Yankees, Ichiro, Greinke, Orioles

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders why other clubs weren't more aggressive in their pursuit of third baseman Kevin Youkilis.  The veteran, he argues, would have been a perfect fit in Cleveland where Travis Hafner was sidelined for a time.  The Pirates and Dodgers also could have used a boost at first base, but ultimately backed away when the talks got serious.  At the end of the day, White Sox GM Ken Williams got his man at the deadline and Cafardo praises him for it.  Here's more from today's column..

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman wants to find starters in place of CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte from within, but if that’s not possible, he’ll look outside.  One National League GM said that while the Astros' Wandy Rodriguez would be a good fit, he doesn’t believe he is of particular interest to them.  Cashman is more likely to gravitate toward Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, and even Zack Greinke.
  • It wouldn’t be shocking to see Ichiro Suzuki get another contract from the Mariners if he wants it.  The outfielder's abilities have declined but ownership may stick with him for the sake of reputation.
  • If the Brewers entertain a deal for Greinke, the Orioles are a team to watch.  The notion that Greinke needs a smaller market because of his past anxiety issues is still very much in play.
  • A team like the Dodgers, Indians, or Pirates would likely take on Vernon Wells if the Angels picked up the majority of the $53MM remaining on his deal.
  • The Nationals and Marlins will have interest in Scott Podsednik once he is healthy.

Rosenthal On Victorino, Red Sox, Braves, Brewers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's round up the rumors…

  • The chances of the Phillies trading Shane Victorino may be greater than the chances of them trading Cole Hamels. The Dodgers, Reds, and possibly the Yankees could be fits for the outfielder, who originally asked Philadelphia for a five-year extension. They're unwilling to give him a contract that long.
  • The Red Sox are likely to be one of the most active teams at the trade deadline. If they keep Franklin Morales in the rotation, they're likely to seek another left-hander for the bullpen. They could also acquire a starter and shift Morales back into a relief role.
  • The Braves are not as adamant about not trading their top young pitchers as they were at this time last year mostly because there are more appealing choices on the market. They're looking for consistency and could part with one of Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, or Randall Delgado if they view someone like Matt Garza as a difference-maker.
  • The Brewers remain more likely to sell than not, but they would still like to return to contention quickly. They could ask for big league pitching instead of prospects for Zack Greinke, plus Francisco Rodriguez figures to have value on the trade market. GM Doug Melvin is getting calls about John Axford and Jose Veras, and the trio of Randy Wolf, George Kottaras, and Shaun Marcum (if healthy) remain trade bait.

Quick Hits: Thome, Blue Jays, Oliver, Orioles

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Links as Friday turns into Saturday..

  • As the Phillies look for a place to move Jim Thome, the Rays and Yankees are not interested, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Olney speculates (Twitter link) that the Orioles and Rangers could be solid fits for the veteran.
  • Darren Oliver may be a name to watch for the ‪Angels‬ if the ‪Blue Jays‬ decide to be sellers at the deadline, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
  • The Orioles‬ have agreed in principle with three of their top seven picks, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Second-round selection Branden Kline, Christian Walker (fourth), and Matthew Price (seven) all signed for their slot recommendation.

International Notes: Mets, Padres, Yankees

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The international signing period begins next week, which means it won’t be long before teams can officially start locking up a new class of talented young players. Keep in mind that each team now operates with a $2.9MM budget and that deals won’t become official before next week. Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com has the latest on some bright young players and potential deals:

  • It’s rumored that the Mets will sign Dominican shortstop Germán Ahmed Rosario, Rojas tweets. Rosario would obtain a bonus of roughly $1.7MM.
  • The Blue Jays look to have the inside track with Venezuelan shortstop Franklin Barreto, Rojas writes.
  • It's rumored that the Padres are a likely destination for Dominican third baseman Carlos Belén, Rojas tweets. Belén could sign for around $1MM.
  • Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens could sign a lucrative deal with the Yankees, Rojas tweets.
  • Dominican shortstop Wendell Rijo could sign with the Rays for $800K or so, Rojas tweets.

Yankees Claim Schwinden, Designate Farquhar

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The Yankees claimed right-hander Chris Schwinden off of waivers from Cleveland, the Indians announced. The Yankees designated Danny Farquhar for assignment in a related move, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter).

It's been a busy month for the 25-year-old Schwinden. The Blue Jays claimed him off of waivers from the Mets on June 2nd and, in an uncannily similar corresponding move, also designated Farquhar for assignment. The Indians claimed Schwinden off of waivers from Toronto four days later and he started three games for Cleveland's top affiliate before today's claim. Schwinden has a 4.16 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 13 starts for three Triple-A teams this year. He also appeared in three games for the Mets.

Farquhar, also 25, has had an equally busy month. He appeared in three games for the Blue Jays this year before the Athletics claimed him on June 9th. The Yankees claimed him earlier this week, but he didn't appear in a game with the Bronx Bombers.

Checking In On The Latest $100MM Contracts

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Every year a few players join baseball’s exclusive $100MM club with free agent deals and mega-extensions. Last offseason was no different — eight players signed nine figure deals. The contracts were all for five years or more, so it’s far too early to call them successes or failures. As the season approaches its halfway point, let’s check in on baseball’s newest $100MM contracts:

  • Albert Pujols, ten-year, $240MM contract - Pujols had a painfully slow start, but he has raised his batting line to a respectable .270/.332/.461. His last 40 games have been legitimately Pujols-like: 11 home runs and an OPS over 1.000.
  • Joey Votto, ten-year, $225MM extension - It's impossible to have a complete discussion about baseball's best hitters without considering Votto. The 28-year-old leads the National League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks, doubles and wOBA, so this deal couldn't be going any better for the Reds.
  • Prince Fielder, nine-year, $214MM contract - Fielder continues to hit at an All-Star level, though he has a relatively modest total of 12 home runs. Unfortunately for Tigers fans Mike Ilitch's bold investment hasn't been enough to keep the team above .500.
  • Matt Kemp, eight-year, $160MM extension - Hamstring issues have sidelined Kemp, who was the best hitter in the National League for the first month of the season.
  • C.C. Sabathia, five-year, $122MM extension - Sabathia, now on the disabled list with a strained groin, is in the midst of yet another tremendous season. He has a 3.45 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 107 innings.
  • Matt Cain, five-year, $112.5MM extension - Cain's enjoying his best season as a Major Leaguer. He has a career-best ERA (2.27), strikeout rate (9.0 K/9) and walk rate (1.9 BB/9) through 107 innings. The Giants' decision to invest in Cain still looks like a good one.
  • Jose Reyes, six-year, $106MM extension - Reyes' offensive numbers have dropped off across the board this year, no thanks to a 60 point dip in batting average on balls in play.
  • Ryan Zimmerman, six-year, $100MM extension - Zimmerman's off to a slow start at the plate despite two home runs in his past three games. He missed two weeks with shoulder soreness earlier in the year and has just a .235/.297/.350 batting line.
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