Jorge Soler Rumors: Friday
The Astros, Cubs, Pirates, Indians, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Blue Jays appear to have some interest in Jorge Soler, while the Marlins and Mets are not pursuing him. The Cuban outfield prospect must sign by July 2nd if he aims to avoid spending restrictions imposed under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here’s the latest:
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto confirmed to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times that they "won't be a player" for Soler (Twitter link). "I don't know who his agent is. Tells you how involved we are," added Dipoto.
- The next round of bids for Soler are due this weekend, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). The Cubs, Yankees, Braves and Dodgers have been the most aggressive teams so far, Olney reports.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that Soler may be trying to establish his residency paperwork through Haiti, instead of the Dominican Republic, where he has been living and working out. Some agents say they would never consider trying to establish a Cuban player's residency through Haiti, which is not known for accurate record keeping.
- However, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com hears that MLB verified Soler's residency in Haiti before granting him free agency (Twitter link). It's not an issue, according to Crasnick's source.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
AL East Notes: Reyes, Rundles, Blue Jays
David Price is set to face C.C. Sabathia in the Bronx tonight, but this battle of lefty aces has been pushed back to 6:30 CST due to a rain delay. While you're waiting, check out these notes from around the AL East…
- The Yankees have signed 22-year-old Dominican right-hander Manolo Reyes, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The contract is worth $600K but is contingent on Reyes obtaining a visa and passing an MLB investigation into his identity and age, as Reyes has already served one year-long suspension due to problems with his paperwork. Reyes was originally signed by the Braves in 2009.
- The Orioles signed left-hander Rich Rundles to a minor league contract. The 31-year-old had been pitching for the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers, who announced the transaction on their website. Rundles appeared in nine games (six IP with a 1.50 ERA) for the Indians in 2008-09 and was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1999 when Dan Duquette was Boston's general manager.
- The Blue Jays are going well under slot with some of their early draft picks, signing tenth-round pick Alex Azor to a $1K bonus (as reported by Chris Toman of MLB.com) and sixth-rounder Eric Phillips to a $5K bonus, according to Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. As Davidi's piece outlines, the Jays' strategy is to free up money in their draft pool to lock up some of their perceived tough-sign picks. One such higher pick, supplemental first-rounder Matt Smoral, has reportedly agreed to sign with Toronto for a signing bonus almost double the recommended slot value.
Cubs Notes: Garza, Soler
A couple of items on the 19-37 Cubs..
- The Cubs are saying that they'll try to sign Matt Garza, but rival GMs believe that there is a decent chance of a trade, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. It could come down to an AL East battle for his services, Heyman adds, with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays all in the mix.
- The Cubs were one of several teams that had representatives at Jorge Soler's workout today, writes Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. Cubs GM Jed Hoyer admitted that the club has done their fair share of homework on the highly-touted prospect. “We’ve been following this carefully and we certainly plan to be involved," Hoyer said.
Yankees Notes: Matsui, Pettitte
A couple of items on the Bombers as they take on the Rays tonight..
- Before last night's game, Hideki Matsui admitted to reporters that the Rays were the only team to make him an offer during the offseason, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. Matsui added that he wasn't surprised when he didn't hear from the Yankees as they searched for a designated hitter this winter.
- Even though the signing of Andy Pettitte seemed like an unnecessary move at the time, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that it now like the best seven-figure investment in Yankees history. The soon-to-be 40-year-old has a 2.78 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in five starts.
Orioles Acquire Steve Pearce, DFA Bill Hall
The Orioles have acquired first baseman Steve Pearce from the Yankees and designated utility man Bill Hall for assignment, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The Yankees will receive cash considerations in return, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
Pearce, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Yanks in late March after spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Pirates. In 52 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, Pearce hit .321/.422/.574 with eleven homers.
Hall, 32, was just added to the club's 25 and 40-man rosters yesterday after having his contract purchased. The veteran was also DFA'd by the team on May 25th before clearing waivers. Hall has a .221/.272/.372 slash line with three home runs in 21 Triple-A games this year.
Yankees Eyeing Matt Garza
Matt Garza interests the Yankees more than other potentially available starters, so GM Brian Cashman could pursue the right-hander this summer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Red Sox could also pursue Garza, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes (on Twitter).
The Yankees appear to have little interest in Brewers right-handers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, Heyman writes. The team has concerns about how Greinke would pitch in New York and members of the New York front office aren’t sure about Marcum as an American Leaguer.
The Yankees also have concerns about Ryan Dempster’s ability to transition to the American League. While the Brewers have a buyer’s mindset, the Cubs appear willing to listen on most of their players. Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros could be another option for the Yankees, Heyman notes.
AL East Notes: Jeter, Red Sox, Orioles, Lind
On this date 20 years ago the 1992 draft took place. A number of future stars, including Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi, were selected that day, but none impacted the American League East like the shortstop prospect the Yankees selected sixth overall. Here's the latest on the AL East…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains how Derek Jeter fell to the Yankees 20 years ago. Though the Yankees were hoping Jeter would fall to them, they had prepared to start negotiations with right-hander Jim Pittsley in case another club selected their preferred target.
- Ben Cherington will be running his first draft as Boston's GM on Monday, but it'll be a familiar setting in some ways, Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald reports. The longtime Red Sox executive says his staff will seek the best available player with each pick. “The key with any draft is to do more with your picks than the 29 other teams do," he said.
- The Orioles will purchase the contract of utility player Bill Hall today and add him to the 25 and 40-man rosters, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports.
- Adam Lind could be ready to return to the Major Leagues "soon," GM Alex Anthopoulos said, according to Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun.
Draft Notes: Indians, Cubs, Royals, Yankees, Orioles
Some items from around the league as baseball prepares for Monday's amateur draft…
- The Indians could target a pitcher with the 15th overall pick since the organization is thin on top-level hurlers, though Indians' director of amateur scouting Brad Grant tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that type of short-term focus can backfire. "As soon as you start to draft towards needs, I think that's when you can make mistakes," Grand said. "I think it's important to take the best player available. You take the player that you feel has the most ability rather than concentrating on needs."
- The Cubs, meanwhile, are targeting power arms, says Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago, though that doesn't necessarily mean Chicago will look to draft a pitcher with their first pick (sixth overall).
- The Royals have a need for a college pitcher who is close to the Majors, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, which would indicate that K.C. could take one of three right-handers (Mark Appel, Kevin Gausman or Kyle Zimmer) with the fifth overall pick.
- Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees vice president of amateur scouting, says his team focuses on prospects who can handle the pressure of playing in New York, reports MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "We're always looking to get players who can play for the New York Yankees and not just be Major Leaguers," Oppenheimer said. "That is our shopping list, to see who can impact us. It's not easy to be a Yankee, so sometimes we will take a little more risk to find somebody who can fit for us."
- Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com talks to Gary Rajsich, who is preparing for his first draft as the Orioles' scouting director.
- The draft is entering a new era due to the changes made by the latest collective bargaining agreement, writes Jerry Crasnick for Baseball America. Crasnick outlines the new rules in place for this year's draft and how they affect players, teams, scouts and agents.
- The new draft rules particularly impact the Blue Jays. MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm talks to GM Alex Anthopoulos about how the Jays' strategy of gaining compensatory picks and paying over-slot prices for prospects will change.
New York Notes: Cabrera, Swisher, Wright
The 27-23 Yankees sit in third place in the American League East and the 28-23 Mets occupy third place in the National League East. Here's the latest from New York on an off day for the city's two teams…
- Baseball officials are skeptical that Melky Cabrera can sustain his performance as an elite player, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. However, there’s no denying that Cabrera has played at an All-Star level since the 2011 season. “He has turned into one of the better hitters in the league,” Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers said. Sherman chronicles Cabrera’s journey from extra outfielder in New York to middle-of-the-order hitter in San Francisco.
- Sherman suggests the budget conscious Yankees will probably not sign Cabrera or Nick Swisher when the switch-hitting outfielders hit free agency after the season.
- Ken Davidoff of the New York Post offers a template for how the Mets can handle David Wright’s contract status in the coming months and years. Davidoff suggests the Mets offer Wright an extension later this year — maybe $115MM for six years — and exercise their 2013 club option if he declines to sign. The Mets could then listen to trade offers for the third baseman and make a deal if an exceptional offer emerged. Though the Mets can’t control the result of their discussions with Wright, they can manage the process, Davidoff writes.
Yankees Claim Ryota Igarashi
The Yankees claimed right-hander Ryota Igarashi from the Blue Jays, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (Twitter links). The Yankees transferred right-hander Brad Meyers to the 60-day disabled list to create 40-man roster space for Igarashi, who will report to Triple-A.
The Blue Jays designated Igarashi for assignment on Sunday after he appeared in two games earlier in the weekend. The 33-year-old allowed four earned runs in one total inning with the Blue Jays, who acquired him from the Pirates at the end of Spring Training. He had singed with Pittsburgh during the offseason, but didn't make their Opening Day roster.