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Indians Sign Two Venezuelan Prospects

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The Indians have signed left-hander Edgar Pineda and outfielder Omar Sanchez, both from Venezuela, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler. Neither player's bonus is known at this time.

In a subscriber-only piece, Badler notes that the 16-year-old Pineda can touch the low-90's with his fastball even though he stands just 5-foot-7. Sanchez, also 16, is said to have a "flat, line-drive swing and has started to show more consistent contact with gap power."

Cleveland had previously signed Venezuelan outfielder Anthony Santander and Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino.

Indians Will Attempt To Improve Offense

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The Indians are 13th in MLB with 364 runs, but with Shin-Soo Choo on the disabled list until September, Cleveland’s offense could use a mid-summer boost. GM Chris Antonetti told MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince that he expects to focus on adding to the Indians' offensive attack.

“We’re open in any way we can to improve the team, whatever that might be,” Antonetti said. “Especially with Choo suffering the injury that he suffered, we’ll probably focus most of our efforts on improving our offense and getting a little more consistency there.”

As Castrovince explains, it’s hard to imagine the Indians giving up anything substantial for an outfielder like Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur or Ryan Ludwick, even though they could use an outfielder with some pop. Antonetti says relying on internal options for an offensive boost could be a simpler alternative to trades that's equally effective.

Davidoff On Twins, Indians, Reyes, Rays

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Since few teams have been completely eliminated from contention, the trade market is developing slowly, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. As of today, the top commodity available is relief pitching and there’s lots of interest in that department. Here are the rest of Davidoff’s notes on the trade market:

  • Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Chad Qualls and Luke Gregerson are available. 
  • The Mets believe they can keep their fans interested even if they trade Rodriguez.
  • The Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cardinals and Rangers are among the teams that are heavily in the mix for relievers.
  • It appears extremely unlikely that the Mets will trade Jose Reyes, but his top suitors would likely include the Reds, Indians, Giants and Mariners, four teams that have poked around for infield help, according to Davidoff. It’s even possible that the Red Sox would pursue Reyes if he became available.
  • The Orioles aren’t quite ready to shop Koji Uehara and the Twins aren’t quite ready to shop Matt Capps. In fact, the Twins aren’t going to sell until they’re sure they’re out of contention.
  • The Yankees are focused on finding a lefty reliever, a commodity the Red Sox and Tigers would also like to acquire.
  • Though no frontline starters appear to be available, the Yankees are looking to acquire a top starter. Cleveland and Detroit are also looking for rotation help.
  • The Mariners are looking for an outfielder and the Phillies are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.
  • One official says the Rays are “buying and selling.” Johnny Damon could be had in the right deal, according to Davidoff.

Quick Hits: Mets, Indians, Cameron, Gregerson

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Tuesday night linkage..

  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that he isn't counseling manager Terry Collins on how to use Francisco Rodriguez, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.  K-Rod is on pace to finish more than 55 games this year.
  • Indians owners Larry and Paul Dolan have encouraged GM Chris Antonetti to find ways to improve the club, but that doesn't mean he's operating with an open checkbook, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
  • The Mariners, Phillies, Nationals, Twins, and Rangers didn't inquire on Mike Cameron before he was dealt to the Marlins, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • A major league executive told Tom Krasovic of InsideThePadres (via Twitter) that no team wants to take on money in a deal.  The teams that can absorb salary, the exec says, have a big advantage.
  • The Padres activated right-hander Luke Gregerson from the disabled list today and a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that there's already trade interest in him.
  • There's been a lot of interest in pitcher Scott Kazmir and he should have a team soon, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  On Sunday, Buster Olney of ESPN estimated that Kazmir would find a club by early next week.

Cafardo On Dodgers, Hardy, Wandy, Twins

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The latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe…

  • The Dodgers are not ready to become sellers quite yet, but Cafardo reports that the team's scouts are already compiling lists of other teams' better prospects.  Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll are among the players who would be made available — Kuroda is already attracting the attention of several teams and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at Carroll's trade candidacy two weeks ago.
  • Cafardo reports that the Indians looked into Casey Blake as a depth option at third base before Lonnie Chisenhall was called up.  Blake, Jonathan Broxton and Jon Garland are all currently on the DL but would be shopped by L.A. if they can prove they're healthy.
  • The Dodgers don't appear to be interested in moving higher-profile players like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or James Loney since "the feeling is Dodgers fans would rebel if some of their star players were sold off."  I don't think Loney falls into this category at all — he has just a .678 OPS this season and could be a non-tender candidate after the season, so the Dodgers would love to get something back for him.
  • J.J. Hardy will be "a major trade chip" for the Orioles if the two sides can't work out a contract extension before the deadline.  Hardy would become the top option for shortstop-needy teams, particularly if the Mets don't shop Jose Reyes.
  • "It’s no secret that [Wandy Rodriguez] is being watched closely by the Yankees, who have sent a few people to watch some of his starts," Cafardo writes.  As FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted a few weeks ago, the Yankees would want Rodriguez at the back of their rotation while the Astros would want a trade package befitting an ace, so there may not be a fit between the two teams.  Cafardo notes that Brett Myers "also remains on the Yankees' radar."
  • The Twins are more likely to deal Carl Pavano or Francisco Liriano than they would Scott Baker, though "there are teams that would love to get their hands on Baker."
  • The White Sox recently sent assistant general manager Dave Yokum to scout some Braves games for pitching.  Cafardo specifically cites Brandon Beachy as a starter the Sox were watching and says that Beachy or Derek Lowe could be shopped by Atlanta in exchange for a hitter.  I think it's obvious the Braves would prefer to move the expensive Lowe rather than a young, controllable pitcher like Beachy, but if the Braves wanted to pick up a big bat like Carlos Quentin (as Cafardo speculates), Atlanta certainly has the pitching depth to spare.

Indians Sign Anthony Santander

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The Indians have signed Venezuelan outfielder Anthony Santander for a bonus of $385K, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler.

Badler writes that the 16-year-old Santander is a switch-hitter who stands 6'2" tall and has an athletic 185-pound frame. He's trimmed nearly a full second off his 60-yard dash, with one scout clocking him at 6.65 seconds recently. He projects to play left field due to a somewhat weak throwing arm, but makes good contact with average power.

Baseball America had projected Santander to receive the 29th-largest bonus of any international signing. The Indians also signed Dorssys Paulino for $1.1MM earlier today.

Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring

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Some links for Sunday afternoon…

Indians Sign Dorssys Paulino

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SUNDAY: Hoynes tweets that the signing is now offical. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that the Indians have confirmed the deal.

9:34PM: A deal with Paulino is close, but nothing is definite at this time, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.  The $1.1MM offer figure, however, is accurate.

8:57PM: The Indians do not currently have a signed contract for a Dominican prospect, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

4:13PM: The Indians have signed Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino to a deal with a $1.1MM signing bonus, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.

Paulino, 16, is said to have one of the better bats among infielders in this year's class.  His 5-foot-11, 175 pound frame might mean that he's better suited for second or third base than shortstop.

The youngster is the son of Jesus Sanchez, a left-handed pitcher who played for the Marlins, Cubs, Rockies, and Reds from 1998-2004.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Rangers, Astros, Hendry

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Some Quick Hits for Saturday night..

  • The Mariners are looking for bullpen help in addition to bats and they've shown interest in what the Padres have, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  However, the M's aren't likely to overpay for a rental and they'd much prefer players under who are under control for '12 (also via Twitter).
  • The Rangers appear to be close to another international signing, writes Enrique Rojas for ESPNDallas.com.  The club is nearing a deal with Dominican pitcher Pedro Payano for $500-600K.
  • A few inexpensive international signings went down today.  The Astros signed Venezuelan shortstop Arturo Michelena for $220K according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The Braves signed Iosif Bernal, a Panamanian outfielder, for a $230K bonus and the Indians inked Dominican outfielder Francisco Miguel for $200K, writes Badler.  The Cardinals signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Godoy for $200K, says Badler.
  • Cubs GM Jim Hendry said that he's not concerned about what other people have to say about his job security in an interview on ESPN1000.

Potential Suitors For Mike Cameron

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114110624042_Red_Sox_at_Pirates The Red Sox cut ties with veteran outfielder Mike Cameron yesterday, designating him for assignment after he hit just .149/.212/.266 in 105 plate appearances this year. "Rest assured I'll play again," said Cameron to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). "I'm not going out that way."

Despite his poor season and last year's injury riddled campaign (just 48 games), Cameron figures to draw interest based on his track record. He hit .250/.342/.452 with 24 homers as a full-time player just two seasons ago, and he went deep at least 20 times every year from 2006 through 2009. That power might be gone at 38 years old, but his three homers this year suggest that he might still be able to provide double digit long balls given enough playing time.

With approximately $3.625MM left on his contract this year, it's very likely that Cameron will clear waivers and hit the open market. Any team would then be able to sign him for the pro-rated league minimum, which is attractive to clubs on a budget. Let's look at some teams that could be potential suitors for Cameron…

  • Braves – Martin Prado is dealing with a staph infection and temporary fill-in Jordan Schafer is hitting just .222/.295/.310. Wilkin Ramirez, Atlanta's current righty outfield bat off the bench, has been unimpressive in limited playing time.
  • Cardinals – There's no way to replace Albert Pujols, but St. Louis was able to slide Lance Berkman over to first and stick Jon Jay in right field. The lefty bat is hitting .289/.340/.356 against southpaws, but Cameron could replenish some outfield depth.
  • Giants – This one is probably a long shot because their outfield is already crowded, but the game's worst offense (just 285 runs) is in desperate need of help, particularly in the power department.
  • Indians – Shin-Soo Choo will miss a substantial amount of time after having thumb surgery, and the incumbent righty hitting outfielder (Austin Kearns) has been ineffective both overall (.194/.282/.265) and against lefties (.244/.292/.267).
  • Mariners – Jeff Sullivan of Lookout Landing tackled this one.
  • Nationals – They've been looking for a center fielder basically all season, and if nothing else, Cameron would give them a platoon partner for Roger Bernadina (.208/.255/.271 vs. LHP).
  • Phillies – Ben Francisco has been disappointing against lefties (.200/.317/.314) this year, plus Cameron could give them platoon partners for both Domonic Brown and Raul Ibanez.
  • Pirates – It's strange to think of the Pirates as buyers, but they're over .500 and just two games back in the NL Central. Jose Tabata is on the DL and Matt Diaz has been a disappointment (.268/.297/.331).
  • Rangers – Julio Borbon is back in Triple-A and David Murphy can't hit lefties (.177/.235/.194), plus they could probably use the depth since Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are known to visit the DL from time to time.
  • Rays – Matt Joyce and Sam Fuld have cooled off considerably, though the righty hitting Justin Ruggiano has done a swell job in limited playing time (.300/.328/.500). That might not last though.
  • Tigers – Ryan Raburn (.207/.244/.348) and Magglio Ordonez (.200/.268/.279) have been big disappointments, and Austin Jackson isn't tearing the cover off the ball either (.248/.312/.364). All three are right-handed and could be replaced, though Jackson figures to keep the center field job.
  • Twins – Injuries have decimated the Twins outfield, though at 8.5 games back of a playoff spot, they might be looking to sell off veterans rather than add one.

Jack Curry of the YES Network heard that the Yankees "probably" won't have interest in Cameron (Twitter link), but several other teams figure to come calling once he clears waivers and is available on the cheap. It's easy to see Cameron fitting on the 25-man roster of nearly even team, though the amount of playing time he'll receive is sure to factor into his decision.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

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