Minor Moves: Rowland-Smith, Dunning, Romak
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here.
- The Reds have signed pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith to a minor-league deal, Robert Murray of SportsRumorAlert.com tweets. Rowland-Smith saw his first MLB action since 2010 when he pitched 7 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks earlier this season. He also pitched 14 innings for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo before being released earlier this month. MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Rowland-Smith has an August 1 opt-out date.
- The Giants have outrighted pitcher Jake Dunning to Triple-A Fresno, Murray tweets. The 25-year-old has appeared in one game with the Giants this season after pitching 25 2/3 innings for him in 2013. Dunning has posted a 5.88 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 33 2/3 innings for Fresno this season.
- 1B/OF Jamie Romak has cleared waivers, and the Dodgers have outrighted him to Triple-A Albuquerque, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets. The Dodgers designated Romak for assignment on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Romak made his big-league debut earlier this season and collected one hit in 23 plate appearances with the Dodgers. He hit .272/.354/.578 in 206 plate appearances for Albuquerque earlier this season. Romak has a July 1 opt-out date, so he could reappear in this space again soon.
Minor Moves: Komatsu, Santos, Snyder, Bernadina, McCutchen, Diaz, Camp, Canzler, Hanson
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league…
- Outfielder Erik Komatsu has signed with the Brewers, reports Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). Komatsu, 26, started out with Milwaukee but was dealt to the Nationals in 2011 in a summer deal for Jerry Hairston. He was then taken in the Rule 5 draft, and saw brief time with both the Cardinals and Twins, before being returned to D.C. After being released by the Nats earlier this year, Komatsu had a brief stint with the Angels but was apparently released again.
- The Pirates have traded outfielder Adalberto Santos to the Giants, according to the PCL transactions page. Santos, 26, was off to a rough .186/.234/.256 start in 47 plate appearances at Triple-A after performing well at each prevous level in the minors.
- First baseman/outfielder Brad Snyder has elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock from the Rangers, reports Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (via Twitter). The 32-year-old Snyder was designated for assignment earlier this week when Texas purchased the contract of fellow first baseman Carlos Pena from Round Rock. Snyder, a converted outfielder, was relatively new to first base, but all 10 games in which he appeared with the Rangers this season came as a first baseman. In those 10 contests, Snyder slashed .167/.265/.400 and blasted a pair of homers in 34 trips to the plate. The first-round pick has demolished Triple-A pitching in his minor league career but never received an extended look in the Majors.
- Outfielder Roger Bernadina has refused an outright assignment from the Reds and elected free agency, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). The 30-year-old has been unable to regain the form he showed in 2012 with the Nationals (.291/.372/.405 with 15 steals in 261 plate appearances). He split last year between Washington and Philadelphia before inking a minor league deal with Cincinnati. In 71 plate appearances, Bernadina scuffled to a .153/.286/.203 line.
- The White Sox have inked righty Daniel McCutchen to a minor league deal, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com reports on Twitter. McCutchen, a 31-year-old righty, saw significant time in the Pirates pen over 2009-11 but has only appeared in two MLB contests since (including one with the Rangers this year). He had a 7.05 ERA and 8.1 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 over 60 innings (including eight starts) at Triple-A with Texas.
- The Blue Jays have outrighted infielder Jonathan Diaz, according to the International League transactions page. Diaz, 29, put up a .158/.256/.184 line in 45 plate appearances with Toronto, his only MLB action other than a cup of coffee last year with the Red Sox.
- Also according to the International League transactions page, the Phillies have released reliever Shawn Camp. The 38-year-old righty appeared in three games earlier in the year before being outrighted, electing free agency, and re-signing with Philadelphia. He currently owns a respectable 3.79 ERA through 19 innings in the minors, with 7.6 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.
- The Phillies have signed Russ Canzler to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per the team’s transactions page at MLB.com. Canzler, who debuted for the IronPigs yesterday, spent the early portion of the season with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. He’s a career .276/.355/.457 hitter in Triple-A and has 102 career MLB plate appearances between the Rays and Indians.
- The Angels have signed independent league right-hander Ray Hanson, per the club’s transactions page. The 6’7″, 235-pound Hanson has pitched very well in both the Frontier League and the United League, posting a 3.59 ERA with a strong 129-to-40 K/BB ratio in 125 1/3 innings. Hanson, 24, made his affiliated debut yesterday with the Halos’ Class-A Advanced club and fired five shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Reds Sign Raisel Iglesias To Seven-Year Deal
The Reds announced that they have signed Cuban right-hander Raisel Iglesias to a seven-year contract. The deal will guarantee Iglesias $27MM (including a signing bonus in the range of $5MM to $6MM) once he obtains a work visa. It also allows him to opt into arbitration if he becomes eligible. While the deal is for seven years, Iglesias’ free agency will not be delayed, as one of those years includes the 2014 season, during which he will not accrue a full year of service time anyway.
Iglesias, who is represented by Bart Hernandez and Praver Shapiro Sports Management, was said last week to be nearing a deal with the Reds. At the time, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports relayed a report from 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 (Twitter links).
Iglesias’ name has been on the rumor circuit for months following his defection from Cuba last November (after one previous failed attempt). Ben Badler of Baseball America provides a scouting report on the 5’11, 165 lb righty, noting that he pitched at 88-92 mph in the 2013 World Baseball Classic but had pitched more in the 92-95 mph range in previous international tournaments. Iglesias also features a sweeping breaking ball in the 76-81 mph range, per Badler.
The 24-year-old Iglesias’ stats are available over at ObstructedView.com, which shows that in his past 82 2/3 innings in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, he posted a 3.05 ERA with a 74-to-30 K/BB ratio (five of those walks were intentional). His new contract means that he will be controlled through the 2020 season.
Most evaluators peg Iglesias as a quick-to-the-Majors bullpen arm, but the report of MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon notes that the Reds believe he is capable of starting. According to a tweet from MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, Iglesias has added a changeup and otherwise tightened up his offerings. Cincinnati held a similar belief about fellow Cuban signee Aroldis Chapman before eventually settling Chapman into the closer’s role, where he has become arguably the best reliever in baseball. The club has also used several valuable draft picks on college relievers with the intention of trying them as starters, such as Tony Cingrani, Michael Lorenzen, and Nick Howard.
Depending on the annual salary structure and his ultimate usage, the ability to go to arbitration could convey a good bit of upside to Iglesias. Certainly, he would have greater earning capacity if he is used a starter or closer. Sheldon tweets that Iglesias will take the 40-man roster spot of Roger Bernadina, who was designated for assignment earlier this week.
MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and colleague Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter) reported the financial details of the deal. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweeted that that Iglesias could opt into arbitration.
Reds Designate Roger Bernadina For Assignment
The Reds have announced that they’ve designated Roger Bernadina for assignment. The move clears space on the Reds’ active roster for pitcher Carlos Contreras.
Bernadina, who turned 30 last week, has hit .153/.286/.203 in 71 plate appearances for Cincinnati this year. The Reds signed him to a minor league deal in January. The outfielder has a career .236/.306/.352 line in parts of seven seasons with the Nationals, Phillies and Reds.
Contreras, 23, has not pitched above Double-A Pensacola, but he’s gotten good results there, posting a 2.70 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 20 innings this season. MLB.com ranks him as the Reds’ No. 5 prospect.
Quick Hits: Reds, Lee, Yankees, Nationals
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.