Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Reds Rumors

Quick Hits: Reds, Lee, Yankees, Nationals

By | at

The Reds’ mostly homegrown rotation prevents them from having to spend big on starting pitching in free agency and gives them a big advantage, Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes. Homegrown pitchers like Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Tony Cingrani and Homer Bailey (leaving aside Bailey’s large recent extension, at least) have proven to be cost effective, and even Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon, both from outside the organization, were acquired without the Reds having to turn to the free agent market. Here are more notes from throughout the big leagues.

  • Of the high-impact pitchers who might be available at the trade deadline, the Phillies’ Cliff Lee makes the most sense for the Yankees, the New York Daily News’ Mark Feinsand writes. Lee will have an enormous salary in 2015, but the Yankees ignored the luxury-tax threshold last offseason, and there’s little reason to think they couldn’t do it again. Lee’s injury status (he went on the DL with an elbow strain in May) and huge contract might mean the Yankees could acquire him for a lesser cost in prospects.
  • Lee threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Marc Narducci of the Inquirer reports. He is not yet 100 percent, however. “It is not pain . . . it is not discomfort,” Lee says. “I would say it is there.”
  • The Nationals aren’t planning on making any big trades anytime soon, reports MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. They don’t want to trade Danny Espinosa, believing he’s a future All-Star, or Adam LaRoche. They would listen to offers on pitcher Ross Detwiler, but aren’t actively looking to deal him.

Latest On Reds, Raisel Iglesias

By | at

4:12pm: A team source tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter) that a deal is “not close.”

3:42pm: The Reds and Cuban right-hander Raisel Iglesias are nearing a deal, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. As Morosi notes, Max Wildstein was the first to say that the two sides were closing in on an agreement earlier this week (Twitter link).

Morosi spoke with Cuban baseball expert Peter Bjarkman, who has seen the 24-year-old Iglesias pitch extensively and thinks he could be in the Majors after just a month or so in the minor leagues, making it conceivable that if the deal is finalized, he’ll pitch for Cincinnati this season (Twitter links).

As Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote last fall upon Iglesias original attempt to defect — he was detained once prior to successfully defecting to Mexico — Iglesias threw 88 to 92 mph at last year’s World Baseball Classic but has been considerably more impressive in the past, flashing 92 to 95 mph velocity and a sweeping breaking ball that sat between 76 and 81 mph. Badler did note on more than one occasion that Iglesias would likely need to begin his career in the minor leagues rather than jumping directly to the Majors.

Iglesias’ stats are available over at ObstructedView.com, which shows that in his past 82 2/3 innings, he’s posted a 3.05 ERA with a 74-to-30 K/BB ratio (five of those walks were intentional). The Reds could use bullpen help, as they rank 22nd in the Majors with a 3.97 ERA from their relief corps and announced today that Sean Marshall will undergo shoulder surgery.

Reds To Sign Alex Blandino

By | at

The Reds have agreed to terms with first-round selection Alex Blandino, reports Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (on Twitter). Blandino, the 29th overall selection, will receive the full slot value of $1.788MM, according to Mayo.

Alex Blandino

The Stanford third baseman ranked 52nd on the Top 200 draft prospects list compiled by Mayo and his colleague, Jim Callis. ESPN’s Keith Law was a bigger fan and ranked Blandino 39th on the final edition of his Top 100, and Baseball America liked him even more, pegging Blandino at No. 30 on their pre-draft Top 500.

In his Junior season for the Cardinals, Blandino hit .310/.397/.531 with 12 homers, 14 doubles and a pair of steals. He was drafted by the A’s back in 2011 (in the 38th round) but he instead elected to attend college. Clearly, that decision paid off in the short-term, from a financial standpoint.

BA praised his bat speed and quick wrists, noting that he stays inside the ball well but at times “sells out trying to generate home run power.” BA feels that his power may end up being merely average and suggests that a move to second base makes sense, as his bat will play better there. Law agrees that a move to second is possible due to his bat, but thinks Blandino can handle the hot corner defensively. Mayo and Callis praise his plate discipline and ability to hit the ball to all fields, though they, too, note that a move to second seems likely.

Blandino was one of two first-round picks for Cincinnati, who also selected Virgina righty Nick Howard with the No. 19 overall selection. The Reds received the No. 29 overall selection as compensation for losing Shin-Soo Choo to free agency. Blandino’s agreement means that 25 of the 34 first-round selections in this year’s draft have signed or agreed to terms.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Verlander, Tigers, Cubs, Morris, Pinto, Marmol

By | at

Justin Verlander’s recent struggles are “a giant concern” for the Tigers, writes James Schmel of MLive.com, because Verlander himself admits that he isn’t sure how to fix them. Verlander told reporters that he doesn’t feel he’s at the point in his career where he needs to reinvent himself on the mound, though he acknowledged that he doesn’t have the same velocity he used to have and said he didn’t blame the fans for booing him last night as he left the game. Verlander yielded seven runs on 12 hits last night and has posted a 7.83 ERA with a woeful 26-to-20 K/BB ratio over his last 43 2/3 innings (seven starts). He is averaging a career-worst (though still solid) 92.6 mph on his fastball.

Here’s more on the Tigers and the baseball’s Central divisions…

  • Jon Morosi of FOX Sports hears that the Tigers aren’t planning on making a move to upgrade at shortstop, as they like what they’ve seen from rookie Eugenio Suarez since his promotion to the Majors (Twitter link). It’s tough not to like what they’ve seen from the 22-year-old Suarez, who is hitting .346/.452/.808 with three homers through his first 10 games. Clearly, he’s due for some regression, but the optimism is understandable.
  • An AL scout tells David Kaplan of CSN Chicago that he’s spoken to the Cubs about both Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, but he hasn’t gotten any indication from Chicago that any of their other starters are available (Twitter link). That contrasts recent reports that the team would be willing to listen to offers on Edwin Jackson and Jake Arrieta. Given Jackson’s remaining salary, it seems hard to believe that Chicago wouldn’t be open to moving him.
  • The Pirates weren’t looking to trade right-hander Bryan Morris before trading him to the Marlins, GM Neal Huntington tells Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, Miami expressed interest in the deal after being attracted to an increase in Morris’ velocity and the addition of a two-seam/sinking fastball to his repertoire, and the two sides were able to strike a deal. Pittsburgh received Miami’s Competitive Balance Round A pick (No. 39 overall), used to draft (and sign) Connor Joe, while Miami has been rewarded to this point with 9 1/3 innings of scoreless relief from Morris, who has shown greatly improved command.
  • Twins closer Glen Perkins offered some candid comments regarding catcher Josmil Pinto on 1500 ESPN Radio with Phil Mackey and Judd Zulgad (via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). While he was highly complimentary of Pinto’s offensive skills, the left-hander was blunt in his description of Pinto’s defense: “He’s a long, long ways away, to be honest with you. …his pitch framing, he’s got some work to do.” Perkins flatly he said Pinto is “surely not at the big-league level as far as catching for me.” Perkins went on to preach the importance of framing and praise veterans Jonathan Lucroy and Jose Molina for their prowess at the skill. Minnesota recently sent Pinto to the minors to get more consistent at-bats and consistent time behind the plate. He’s spent much of the season DHing while Kurt Suzuki, whose offensive contributions have been somewhat surprising, has done the bulk of the catching.
  • After leaving the Reds organization to take a “mental break,” the representative of reliever Carlos Marmol says that the righty may not look to return this season, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Agent Paul Kinzer told Heyman that Marmol decided to return to the Dominican Republic to deal with unspecified personal issues, and has had no physical problems.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

NL Notes: Iglesias, Mills, Martin, Young, Billingsley

By | at

Here’s the latest out of the National League …

  • The Reds are interested in Cuban free agent pitcher Raisel Iglesias, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Twitter). A team official told Badler that a deal was not in place at this time, however. Badler recently reported that the righty was granted an extended signing window by MLB, and will be free to sign through July 1 without being subject to international spending limitations.
  • Brewers righty Brad Mills has an opt-out provision in his minor league deal that was triggered on Sunday, but can only be exercised if he has an offer from a team that would put him on its 25-man roster, reports Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Mills, 29, has impressed at Triple-A, with a 1.56 ERA and 9.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 through 75 innings (including 12 starts). As Rosiak notes, however, Milwaukee seems relatively uninterested in using him at the big league level at present.
  • If the Pirates decide to open extension talks with catcher Russell Martin, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review estimates that it could take a three-year, $39MM offer to make a deal. Martin, who signed a two-year, $17MM pact to come to Pittsburgh, has posted a strong .275/.409/.400 line this year, which is the best pace he’s carried since his excellent 2006-08 seasons with the Dodgers. In the intervening five years, Martin has averaged a .234/.332/.370 triple-slash, though he has consistently earned stellar defensive ratings. After Martin, pickings are fairly slim on next year’s free agent market for backstops, with players like Kurt Suzuki, A.J. Pierzynski, Geovany Soto, and Nick Hundley leading the way.
  • The Mets have no intention of releasing struggling outfielder Chris Young, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. Young has posted a meager .196/.283/.313 line in 185 plate appearances since joining the club on a one-year, $7.25MM pact. While the team would like to be able to deal him, presumably eating some salary to make that happen, a team official tells Rubin that New York does not expect to find much of a market for his services.
  • As expected, Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley will undergo season-ending surgery on his right elbow, reports Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. It seems all but certain that the club will opt to pay Billingsley a $3MM buyout rather than picking up his $14MM option for 2015. The veteran hurler tells Saxon that the rehab is expected to be “about six months,” and that surgery offered him the “best chance to pitch next year.”

Reds Release Chris Nelson After He Exercises Opt-Out

By | at

The Reds have released third baseman Chris Nelson, tweets Jamie Ramsey, the club’s assistant director of media relations. The 28-year-old exercised an opt-out in his minor league deal, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter).

Nelson re-signed with Cincinnati after opting out of his original minor league deal at the end of the spring. On the year, he has logged 261 plate appearances with a .274/.330/.363 triple-slash and four home runs at Triple-A Lousiville.

He bounced around last year, going from the Rockies to the Yankees and then the Angels. All said, he compiled a .227/.273/.327 line in 227 plate appearances. Once a top prospect, Nelson’s best year as a big leaguer was his .301/.352/.458 campaign for Colorado in 2013.

Draft Signings: Austin, Mardirosian, Ramos, Stokes

By | at

We’ll keep track of the day’s notable draft signings right here, with slot information courtesy of Baseball America:

  • White Sox fourth-rounder Brett Austin agreed to a $450K bonus that is about $35K below slot, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Austin, a catcher out of NC State, caught Carlos Rodon in college, whom the Sox selected with the No. 3 overall pick. The $35K savings on Austin’s bonus covers the slight discrepancy between third-rounder Jace Fry’s $760K bonus and the $726K slot value.
  • Jim Callis of MLB.com reports that the Reds have agreed to a well-above-slot deal with seventh-round selection Shane Mardirosian (Twitter link). The high school infielder out of California received a $350K bonus despite the fact that the No. 215 slot’s assigned value was $173K. Callis describes him as a “sparkplug” with speed and a line-drive swing.
  • Though bonus amounts are not known for all players, the White Sox have reached agreement with all of the players selected in the draft’s first ten rounds except for third-overall pick Carlos Rodon, tweets Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago, which has an overall available pool of just over $9.5MM, had already reached agreement with both of the high-school players it took from among those picks: second-rounder Spencer Adams (who reportedly signed at slot) and tenth-rounder Jake Jarvis (who was said to be a hard-sign choice).
  • The Mets have agreed to sign their second pick (the 84th overall choice), high school shortstop Milton Ramos, tweets Cotillo. His third-round slot carries a $651.7K allotment, though it’s not yet clear whether the bonus falls at, above, or below that mark. Known for his advanced glove, Ramos landed at 46th on MLB.com’s pre-draft ranking and had been ticketed for Florida Atlantic University.
  • The Brewers have agreed to sign fourth-round choice Troy Stokes for $400K, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). Milwaukee will get to apply $49.3K towards other picks, as the 116th draft slot carried a $449.3K pool figure. Stokes landed at 316th on Baseball America’s list of the 500 best draft prospects.
  • Rockies fourth-rounder Wesley Rogers (113th overall) has agreed to a $360K bonus, tweets Cotillo. That represents a savings of $100.5K against the slot assignment. Rogers, a JuCo outfielder, did not crack any of the major top draft prospect lists.
  • The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with third-rounder Nick Wells, reports Tariq Lee of the Washington Post (h/t to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun). Wells, a Virginia high school lefty who had been committed to the College of Charleston, will receive the full slot value of the 83rd overall pick ($661.8K). He landed at 119th on Baseball America’s list of the top available prospects.
  • Click here to review MLBTR’s coverage of the flurry of recent draft signings. Remember that you can always find that category tag (“2014 Amateur Draft Signings”), and many more, right below the post.

Minor Moves: Rowland-Smith, Hill, Marmol, Pina

By | at

Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that the Blue Jays have released left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith from Triple-A Buffalo (Twitter link). The Australian lefty worked his way back to the Majors earlier this season with the D’Backs — his first big league action since 2010. After being released by Arizona, Rowland-Smith caught on with the Jays and allowed eight runs in 14 innings with a solid 11-to-3 K/BB ratio.
  • The White Sox have acquired righty Shawn Hill from the Blue Jays, according to the International League transactions page. Hill, 33, has seen time in seven MLB seasons, working to a 4.69 ERA in 242 innings, almost entirely as a starter. He last reached the majors in 2012 with the Jays, when he made his first and only relief appearance. Hill made three starts for the Expos back in 2004, and had his best season with the Nationals in 2007, when he worked to a 3.42 ERA in 97 1/3 frames.
  • Reliever Carlos Marmol has been placed on the restricted list by the Reds after leaving the club without permission, according to Jamie Ramsey, the club’s Assistant Director of Media Relations (Twitter link). Marmol came to Cincinnati recently on a minor league deal after he was released by the Marlins, and had allowed three earned runs (with six walks and six strikeouts) through just 3 2/3 frames at Triple-A.
  • The Tigers have acquired catcher Manny Pina from the Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later, according to the MLB transactions page. Detroit has released fellow backstop Luis Exposito in a corresponding move, via the International League transactions page. Pina, 27, has had two brief MLB stints with the Royals. He is hitting .267/.337/.413 through 83 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma. Exposito is also a 27-year-old with minimal MLB experience under his belt; he owns a .177/.252/.313 line in 107 plate appearances for Toledo.
  • Brian Barden will continue his career with the indy league Somerset Patriots, reports ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). The 33-year-old infielder has seen action in four MLB campaigns with the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Marlins, most recently in 2010. He spent last year at Triple-A for the Dodgers before moving to the Mexican League at the start of 2014.
  • MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows six players in limbo: Jordan Pacheco (Rockies), David Huff (Giants), Jason Kubel (Twins), Trevor Cahill (Diamondbacks), and Wilton Lopez (Rockies).

NL Central Notes: Pirates, Martin, Mills, Cubs, Marmol

By | at

The Pirates announced today that Francisco Liriano has been placed on the disabled list with a left oblique strain. Liriano joins ace Gerrit Cole on the market and gives Pittsburgh’s rotation a very different look than it had at the end of the 2013 season when that duo was teaming up with A.J. Burnett to shut down opposing lineups. ESPN’s Jayson Stark spoke with officials from several other teams who expect the Bucs to try to trade for a starter with Cole and Liriano now on the shelf (Twitter link).

Here’s a bit more on the Pirates and the rest of the NL Central…

  • Pirates president Frank Coonelly told Joe Starkey of 93.7 The Fan and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the team’s level of interest in re-signing Russell Martin is “very high” (Twitter link). Of course, that doesn’t mean the Pirates will be able to afford Martin, who is coming off a strong season and hitting .269/.409/.394 in 30 games this year.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Brewers lefty Brad Mills can opt out of his minor league deal on Sunday and is having a strong season at Triple-A. Mills has pitched to a 1.57 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 69 innings of work. Rosenthal wonders if the veteran 29-year-old could be of interest to teams looking for a starter.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer spoke with David Kaplan of CSN Chicago (Twitter link) and said it’s “likely and definitely possible” that the team will spend on veteran players in free agency this offseason. Said Hoyer: “We need to add veterans to the kids that are coming.”
  • Earlier today, the Reds placed Carlos Marmol on the minor league restricted list after he left the team without permission. MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo spoke with Marmol’s agent, Paul Kinzer, about the move (All Twitter links). Said Kinzer: “He decided to take a break and just focus on getting back on track. He’s still healthy and should still be in his prime. His velocity was still in the mid-90’s. I don’t believe the Reds want to release him. He wants to get his confidence back and take a break mentally.”

Draft Signings: White, Oliver, LaValley, Greiner

By | at

Hundreds of draft-pick signings will be reported over the coming weeks, and we’ll run down today’s most notable agreements in this post…

  • Junior righty Chad Sobotka, the fourth round choice of the Braves, has agreed to an above-slot deal, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. He will receive $400K, slightly more than the 133rd pick’s $381.3K allotment.
  • The Marlins have given a $350K bonus to 11th round choice Nick White, a high school righty, tweets Callis. That is the largest bonus for a post-tenth-rounder thus far, says Callis. $250K of White’s bonus will be charged to Miami’s $14.2MM total pool.
  • The Phillies have agreed to a $550K bonus with fourth-rounder Chris Oliver, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). That represents a $83K overage as against the $467K pool assigned to the 112th pick. MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo pegged Oliver as the 48th-rated draft prospect, while Baseball America rated the University of Arkansas righty as the 66th best player available.
  • Gavin LaValley, the Reds’ fourth-rounder who was reported to have agreed to terms yesterday, will receive $525K, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com. That is a good bit over the $411.9K slot assignment that came with the 125th overall choice.
  • The Tigers and third-rounder (No. 99 overall) Grayson Greiner have agreed to terms at the full slot value of $529,400, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter). Callis notes that the South Carolina catcher draws more praise for his defense than his bat. Greiner was a Top 100 prospect per MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN.
  • The Diamondbacks  saved $202K on their sixth-round selection, as MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets that they inked Middle Tennessee State left-hander Zac Curtis for just $40K. Arizona’s savings on Curtis will come in handy, as they inked Comp Round B pick Marcus Wilson earlier today to a deal that was $179K over slot. Baseball America ranked Curtis 373rd among draft prospects.
  • Cotillo also tweets that Reds third-rounder Wyatt Strahan received the full slot value of $588,700. MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reported last night that the two sides had agreed to terms.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top