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Cubs Sign Fourth-Rounder Tyler Skulina

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The Cubs have signed fourth-round draft pick Tyler Skulina for $800K, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The draft pool value of Skulina's pick, No. 108 overall, is $477K, so Skulina's bonus is significantly over slot. Baseball America ranked Skulina the No. 73 prospect in the draft.

Callis writes that Skulina, a junior righty from Kent State, has "frontline stuff," with a 91-96 MPH fastball and an 81-84 MPH slider, although his command needs work. MLB.com notes that Skulina uses his height (he's 6'5" and 235 pounds) to throw with a downhill plane that complements his fastball and breaking ball, but says he will have to work on his changeup. 

Quick Hits: Molina, Rangers, Hoyer, Yankees, Dotel

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Earl Webb's Major League record of 67 doubles in a season has stood since 1931 but Orioles phenom Manny Machado could be putting that mark in jeopardy.  Machado now has 30 doubles through 68 Baltimore games after collecting a pair of two-baggers in Friday's 2-0 win over the Red Sox.  Only five 21st century players have come within even 11 doubles of Webb's record, one of whom was Machado's teammate Brian Roberts, who hit 56 doubles in 2009.

Here's the latest from around the baseball world…

  • Yadier Molina's value to the Cardinals is immeasurable, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler writes, and for a team that has been comfortable letting many key figures go in recent years, the Cards made a point to lock their catcher up to a five-year, $75MM extension in March 2012.  "[Owner Bill DeWitt and I] talked about players who were coming up on free agency, and we'd ask how do you replace them. He and I always felt that [Molina] was the one where we had no answer," Cards GM John Mozeliak said.  "It was imperative that we kept him."
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels is waiting to see how his team performs over the next few weeks before determining what possible upgrades are needed at the trade deadline, Daniels said during an appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Fitzsimmons and Durrett Show (passed on by ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett).  Daniels also noted that the club may keep Jurickson Profar on the Major League roster even after Ian Kinsler is back from the DL, and that Profar could get some outfield time if he is in fact sent back to Triple-A.
  • ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden lists 20 pitchers he feels could be traded this summer.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer felt Kris Bryant was "the best player on the board" when Chicago had the second overall pick in the draft, though Hoyer tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that pitching "is an organizational weakness….I don’t think it affects our timing, but it does mean that pitching will be an emphasis in future drafts and any kind of trades we might make, and in free agency.”
  • The Yankees' makeshift lineup has remained in contention but ratings on the YES Network are down 38% from last season, leading Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal to speculate if the Bombers may feel obligated to acquire star players in order to maximize fan and business interest.
  • Tigers reliever Octavio Dotel's elbow injury could endanger his season, and since Dotel is 39, MLB.com's Jason Beck wonders if the veteran's career could also be threatened.
  • Andre Ethier isn't letting trade speculation bother him since "it's nothing you can have a say about except to go out there and play hard," he tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Ethier could be expendable in the Dodgers outfield once Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp return from injury, given Yasiel Puig's emergence.
  • Baseball America's staff checks in on the progress of the 2012 first round draft picks.

Cubs Outright Eduardo Sanchez

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FRIDAY: Sanchez has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).

TUESDAY: The Cubs announced that they have designated right-hander Eduardo Sanchez for assignment.  The move will create room for the newest member of the Cubs, Henry Rodriguez.  

Sanchez, 24, was claimed off of waivers from the Cardinals back in May.  In 43 career relief appearances for St. Louis, Sanchez posted a 3.40 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9.  He pitched in six games for the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate this year and allowed eight runs while tallying seven strikeouts and seven walks. 

Draft Signings: Ledbetter, Rhame, Westbrook

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Here's a look at the latest notable draft signings from Day 2 and Day 3..

  • The Mariners inked sixth-rounder Corey Simpson to an above-slot $400K deal (suggested value: $245K), Callis tweets.  The Texas high school catcher/first baseman possesses massive power and a strong arm.
  • The Rangers signed third-round right hander David Ledbetter, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.   Ledbetter's deal comes with a $350K bonus, less than the slot amount of about $521K, tweets Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com.
  • Dodgers sixth-round pick Jacob Rhame agreed to a deal worth $300K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).  The right-hander, who boasts a solid sinker, got about $70K more than the suggested value for his slot, per BA's rundown.
  • The Diamondbacks went well above slot to sign shortstop Jamie Westbrook, according to Callis (on Twitter).  The fifth-rounder got $450K, more than the suggested $318K for his draft position.
  • One of the fastest players in the draft didn't waste much time in putting his name on the dotted line.  The White Sox inked third-round pick Jacob May to a $525K deal, tweets Callis.
  • Orioles 16th round pick Randolph Gassaway agreed to sign, Callis tweets.  The high school first baseman will get a bonus of $100K.
  • Outfielder Charcer Burks signed for $170K with the Cubs, tweets Callis.  That's slightly more than the suggested ~$149K for where he was taken in the ninth round.

Cubs Acquire Henry Rodriguez

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The Nationals announced that they have traded Henry Rodriguez to the Cubs in exchange for fellow right-hander Ian Dickson.  The Nats designated Rodriguez for assignment last week in order to make room on the roster for Anthony Rendon.

Rodriguez, 26, has a 4.23 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 across parts of five big league seasons with the A's and Nats. He pitched 18 innings in relief for Washington this season, posting a 4.00 ERA with eleven strikeouts and 16 walks.  While he has yet to find sustained success in the big leagues, Rodriguez has impressed with a 100 mph fastball in recent outings.

Dickson, 22, was taken in the 35th round of the 2011 draft by the Cubs.  The youngster has a 6.88 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in three starts and eight relief appearances for Chicago's Single-A affiliate this year.

Draft Notes: Judge, Yankees, Bryant, Dodgers

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Here’s a look at today’s draft news..

  • Yankees first-round pick Aaron Judge says that he’s “real confident” that he’ll be signing soon with the Bombers, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  The Fresno State outfielder is known for jaw-dropping batting practice displays according to Baseball America and got to show off a bit as he took BP with the club today.  Judge was one of three late first-round picks for the Yankees along with Eric Jagielo and Ian Clarkin.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America only sees two draftees this year becoming the top prospect in their respective organizations.  Third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant had the best power in this year’s draft and even though it’s an extremely close call, Callis ranks him ahead of shortstop Javier Baez and outfielders Albert Almora and Jorge Soler in the Cubs system.  He also puts righthander Jonathan Gray over outfielder David Dahl in the Rockies system.
  • The Dodgers’ prospects are making an impact in the big leagues and there are even more on the way, writes MLB.com’s Austin Laymance.

Cubs Likely To Part With Ian Stewart

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Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the Cubs have suspended minor league third baseman Ian Stewart without pay following a Twitter rant in which the former first-round pick criticized the front office. As Sullivan writes, Stewart stated that the team "might as well release" him rather than let him "rot" in Triple-A, among other things.

Stewart has since apologized for the incident (All Twitter links), but Sullivan reports that the the team is likely to part ways with the 28-year-old.

Stewart entered today's game hitting .164/.279/.345 with four homers in 129 plate appearances, though he did go 1-for-3 with his fifth home run and a walk today. The California native was selected 10th overall out high school by the Rockies in 2003. He reached the Majors in 2007 and batted .246/.334/.454 with 53 homers in 349 games from 2008-10. He spent the next two seasons trying to play through a wrist injury that ultimately required surgery. He is owed $2MM this season after re-signing with the Cubs in December.

Trade Candidate: Scott Feldman

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It's been a disappointing 2013 for the Cubs, but the rotation has had little to do with that fact. Cubs starters have pitched to a 3.62 ERA this season — the seventh-best mark in the Majors. Scott Feldman has been a huge part of that, posting a 2.84 ERA in 66 2/3 innings (11 starts).  Feldman

While Feldman isn't likely to sustain a sub-3.00 ERA, his season hasn't been entirely smoke and mirrors. His swinging-strike rate, while still below the league average, is among the best of his career, as is his first-pitch strike rate. He's inducing grounders at a 51.5 percent clip and demonstrating better command (2.7 BB/9) than he showed as a member of the Rangers' rotation from 2008-12.

Stats like FIP (3.86), xFIP (3.82) and SIERA (3.91) all figure Feldman to be a useful rotation piece even if his peripheral stats catch up to his ERA. Feldman's skill set and strong results thus far figure to make him an attractive trade chip over the next six to seven weeks, particularly for teams looking to bolster their starting rotation without breaking the bank.

Feldman, 30, signed a one-year, $6MM contract with the Cubs this offseason, and probably had a pretty good idea that he could see his name on the market if things didn't go well on Chicago's north side. That's clearly been the case, as the Cubs currently have a 25-35 record that puts them 14.5 games out of first place in the NL Central.

Plenty of contenders have rotation issues, and the Cubs' early standing as a seller could actually benefit them. With two wild card spots now attainable in each league, teams are more reluctant to part with talent early in the summer. The Cubs, however, likely have no delusions about their current status. Contending teams with rotation issues include the Orioles, Giants, Indians and Rockies, to name a few. Feldman's high ground-ball totals would seem to be particularly appealing to teams like Baltimore and Colorado, who play in very homer-friendly environments.

Feldman won't be the best name on the market, but Hoyer and Epstein could look for a high-risk, high-reward return as they did last season when they acquired Arodys Vizcaino (who was on the DL recovering from Tommy John surgery) for Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson. If they're looking to maximize their haul, it might be worth it to package Feldman with another trade candidate like David DeJesus (who I examined as a candidate a month ago) or even Matt Garza.

If they prefer to move Feldman on his own, they should still be able to get some useful pieces. For example, last July, the Twins shipped Francisco Liriano (and his 5.31 ERA and 5.0 BB/9) to the the White Sox for infielder Eduardo Escobar and left-hander Pedro Hernandez. Prior to 2012, Baseball America ranked Escobar as Chicago's No. 10 prospect and Hernandez as the Padres' No. 23 prospect (he was later traded to the Sox for Carlos Quentin). Feldman's numbers are vastly superior to Liriano's, so the Cubs could look to land a solid top 10 prospect from another team as well as a second in the 10-15 range.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Notes: Angels, Cubs, Whitson

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The Angels took pitchers with their first seven picks in this weekend's draft, William Boor of MLB.com notes. Boor also points out that ESPN and Baseball America both recently ranked the Angels' system the worst in baseball, and that the reason the system has been so poor is because of the team's free agent signings. With the signings of Jeff Weaver, Gary Matthews Jr., Justin Speier, Torii Hunter, Scott Downs, Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson and Josh Hamilton, the Angels have been missing either a first-round or a second-round selection, or both, in six of the last eight drafts. That includes 2013, when they went without a first round pick due to the Hamilton signing. The Angels made their first pick of the draft, Kentucky high school lefty Hunter Green, with the No. 59 overall selection. Here are more notes from the draft.

  • The Cubs are happy with their draft haul, Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports. "We definitely wanted to have a pitching-heavy draft again this year. After the (first 10 rounds) Theo (Epstein) and I were sitting there looking at the board and I felt really good about it," says vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod. After taking San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant with the second overall pick, six of the Cubs' next seven selections were college pitchers. That was a deliberate strategy, McLeod says, to infuse their system with advanced starting pitching prospects.
  • The Nationals took Karsten Whitson in the 37th round. As Jim Callis of Baseball America notes (on Twitter), the Padres picked Whitson ninth overall in 2010. Whitson opted to go to the University of Florida instead, and he pitched two seasons there before missing 2013 with a shoulder injury. Whitson turned down a signing bonus of over $2MM from the Padres.
  • Earlier today, MLBTR highlighted some stories of teams drafting players with big-league bloodlines. It's not uncommon for teams to draft such players, particularly in the later rounds, and there were so many on Saturday it would be difficult to name them all, but here are a few: Ben Verlander (brother of Justin; Tigers, 14th), Mike Yastrzemski (grandson of Carl; Orioles, 14th), Jonah Arenado (brother of Nolan; Giants, 16th), Torii Hunter Jr. (Tigers, 36th), JaVon Shelby (son of John; Brewers, 37th), Josh Pettitte (son of Andy; Yankees, 37th), Jon Nunnally Jr. (Blue Jays, 38th) and Jacob Heyward (brother of Jason; Braves, 38th).

Dodgers Interested In Cuban Right-Hander Gonzalez

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10:24pm: The Rangers, Red Sox, and Cubs are also interested in Gonzalez, a source tells Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter).  As it stands, there are seven teams in total that are in on the right-hander.

1:48pm: The Dodgers are one of the teams interested in Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.  Gonzalez, who formerly pitched for Cuba's national team, defected earlier this year and is now living in Mexico.  At age 26, he is old enough to be signed without his salary counting towards a team's international spending cap.

Gonzalez "is said to be 6-foot-3 with a fastball in the 90s, a changeup, forkball and curveball" and at least one Major League scout thinks the righty could reach the Majors this season.  Gonzalez hasn't pitched much in Cuba over the last two seasons as he was suspended by the country's top league for a previous attempt to escape.

Gonzalez is expected to be declared eligible by MLB this week and will become a free agent upon clearance by the U.S. Treasury Department.  A showcase for scouts is tentatively scheduled for around June 20, a source tells Hernandez.

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