Diamondbacks Claim Jordan Pacheco From Rockies
The Diamondbacks have claimed infielder/catcher Jordan Pacheco off waivers from the Rockies, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). Pacheco, 28, was designated and then placed on outright waivers recently by Colorado.
Pacheco is best known for his defensive versatility and contact skills. He has seen significant time at catcher, third, and first with the Rockies over recent seasons. And in 2012, he posted a sturdy .309/.341/.421 triple-slash over 505 plate appearances. Those numbers have turned south recently, however, as Pacheco owns only a .238/.282/.320 line over the last two seasons.
As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reported back in March, Pacheco is out of options. Arizona is currently relying on Tuffy Gosewisch as the primary backup to Miguel Montero behind the dish, though the 30-year-old has seen only 37 plate appearances (slashing an underwhelming .194/.216/.306).
Draft Signings: Austin, Mardirosian, Ramos, Stokes
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.
NL West Links: CarGo, Winkler, Street, Billingsley
Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez had a tumor removed from his left index finger Tuesday, writes Nick Groke of the Denver Post. Head athletic trainer Keith Dugger tells Groke that a biopsy will be performed on what they’re hoping is a benign tumor, adding that such a finding isn’t necessarily uncommon. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that Gonzalez could miss as much as five weeks after having what Dugger described as a “fatty mass with tentacles” removed. Here’s more on the Rox and their division…
- The Rockies have had injury problems of late, with Michael Cuddyer, Jordan Lyles, Eddie Butler, Boone Logan, Nolan Arenado, Tyler Chatwood and Brett Anderson all on the DL (in addition to Gonzalez), but they’re not done with bad news on that front. Groke’s colleague Patrick Saunders reported this morning that top pitching prospect Daniel Winkler is heading for Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old Winkler — a former 20th-round gem in the draft — had posted a 1.41 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 70 innings at Double-A Tulsa this season.
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick spoke with Padres closer Huston Street about the possibility of being traded this summer — a concept that is far from foreign to Street. “I’ll give the same answer I have year after year,” Street told Crasnick. “I have no control over it. I don’t have a no-trade clause, so there’s nothing for me to consider.” Street added that he likes the group in San Diego and doesn’t want to be traded, believing they can win there. Crasnick notes that his $7MM salary and $7MM club option are affordable enough that teams will have interest, but not so steep that the Friars feel they have to move him.
- Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley had another setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is expected to be reevaluated by the team doctor, reports Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Billingsley recently hit 93 mph in a rehab outing, but he felt weakness in his surgically repaired elbow following a 31-pitch bullpen session yesterday.
Rockies Agree To Below-Slot Bonus With Kyle Freeland
6:48pm: The bonus will land at $2.3MM, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). That means that Colorado will save about $890K to put towards other choices.
As Callis explains (Twitter links), Freeland ended up in a difficult bargaining position due to a high school medical report that contained speculation about possible elbow issues. In spite of that loss of leverage, Callis notes, Freeland still ended up with at least mid-first-round money.
6:19pm: The Rockies have reached agreement with first-rounder and eight overall choice Kyle Freeland, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com (via Twitter). He reportedly will take hom a bonus of approximately $2.5MM, significantly below his slot allocation of $3.19MM.
Freeland, a lefty from Colorado who played college ball for the University of Evansville, was said to have raised medical concerns from some clubs prior to the draft. Nevertheless, he landed at fifth on Baseball America’s list of the top draft prospects and was rated seventh by MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo. (He slid to 19th on ESPN.com’s Keith Law’s final prospect ranking,)
The lean southpaw has plus-plus command, in BA’s estimation, and has moved his heater into the low to mid-90s. His secondary offerings are led by a mid-80s slider and also include an average curve and decent change. Though Law notes that Freeland did not face top-end competition in college, he did put up a ridiculous 15:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year. While Law rejects the comparison, Freeland has’s body type has led to comparisons to Chris Sale. And as with Sale when he was a draft prospect, some have expressed concern that he’s ultimately ticketed for the bullpen.
Colorado entered the draft with about $8.35MM in achievable pool money from the first ten rounds. The club was aggressive with taking high school prospects elsewhere in the early stages of the draft, nabbing Forrest Wall at 35th overall, Ryan Castellani at the 48th slot, and Kevin Padlo an Max George with its fifth and sixth-round choices. The Rockies will now have about $690K extra to play with in signing those players.
Jordan Pacheco On Outright Waivers
JUNE 10: Pacheco is currently on outright waivers and will learn his fate in the next 48 hours, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Any team will have the option to claim him (in order of reverse record starting with the NL and then moving to the AL). If not, the Rockies will be able to assign him outright to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
JUNE 4: The Rockies have designated catcher/infielder Jordan Pacheco for assignment, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Fellow backstop Michael McKenry will take his roster spot, while the club will also promote infielder Ryan Wheeler with star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hitting the DL.
Pacheco, 28, has been a mainstay on the Colorado roster for much of the last two seasons, largely due to his defensive flexibility. He saw plenty of time at third in 2012, starting 80 times there and 35 times across the diamond, but last year played mostly at first while also shifting behind the dish at times. Entering 2014 as the reserve backstop, Pacheco has been limited to just 175 1/3 innings in the field thus far, and has taken only one start at a different position.
On the offensive side of the ledger, Pacheco has been unable to follow up on his solid 2012 campaign (.309/.341/.421 in 505 plate appearances). He struggled to a .588 OPS last year, and has slashed .236/.300/.347 through 80 plate appearances in 2014. Of course, all of those numbers reflect time spent at Coors Field; Pacheco’s lifetime wRC+ stands at just 76.
NL Notes: Polanco, Sellers, CarGo, Cuddyer, Matzek, Draft
The rise of Pirates call-up Gregory Polanco from a virtually unknown international signee to a top prospect has been quite rare in recent history, writes Alex Speier in an ESPN Insider piece. Slowly but surely, the 22-year-old tightened his skills to match his raw tools, and his now-obvious upside emerged.
Here’s more from the National League:
- While Polanco is undoubtedly an exciting addition for the Pirates, the team should nevertheless be prepared to sell over the summer, opines Paul Swydan of ESPN.com (Insider link). Russell Martin and Francisco Liriano are among the pieces that the team could consider moving, he says. Meanwhile, the Mets and Padres are other NL clubs that Swydan says should look to move pieces.
- While Swydan does not discuss their situation, the Phillies also seem like possible sellers, though it is hard to know the club’s thinking. Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com discusses the trade-worthiness of several of the team’s possible deadline chips.
- The Mets‘ struggles this year are bad enough that they have shifted the team’s seemingly promising trajectory, writes Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. The team’s key cog, third baseman David Wright, says that he remains committed to the Mets and has no desire to be dealt. (Of course, that seems a rather unlikely outcome regardless.) “I knew that when I signed my extension, I knew that things were not going to be easy,” he said. “If I wanted the easy way out, I would have signed somewhere else. The challenge of it, the loyalty to the organization, the direction I think we’re going, yes, we’ve gone through some rough stretches … but that is the process.”
- The Rockies, who dropped their ninth of ten games tonight, are now dealing with another spate of bad injury news. In addition to placing recent top prospect call-up Eddie Butler on the 15-day DL after his first big league start, the team learned today that it will be without two key veterans for some time. Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez will undergo exploratory surgery on the left index finger that has bothered him this year, reports Nick Groke of the Denver Post (via Twitter). And right fielder Michael Cuddyer has suffered a fracture of the glenoid socket in his right shoulder, which will keep him out for at least six to eight weeks, as Cody Ulm of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Now well off the pace in the NL West, the Rockies would need a quick turnaround to position themselves as contenders as the trade deadline approaches.
- In need of arms, the Rockies will call up 23-year-old lefty Tyler Matzek to start on Wednesday against the Braves, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. Once a top-25 prospect league-wide and the 11th overall choice in the 2009 draft, Matzek has climbed through the minors even as his prospect shine has dimmed somewhat. After opening the year rated 12th among Colorado prospects by Baseball America, which noted that struggles with consistency and command could push him to the bullpen, Matzek has worked to a 4.05 ERA in his first 66 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. More importantly, perhaps, he has worked to a career-best 4.2 BB/9 at Colorado Springs while also racking up 8.2 K/9.
- ESPN.com’s Keith Law has posted his round-up (Insider link) of the draft haul from National League clubs. He says that the Diamondbacks brought back an impressive haul across the board, and casts some doubt on some of the Cubs‘ early-round selections while noting that the team went after high-upside arms further down.
Minor Moves: Tomko, Burres, Aceves, Paxton
Here are today’s minor league transactions from around baseball, with the latest moves at the top of the post…
- Veteran Brett Tomko has found a new home with the Rockies on a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of Sports Rumor Alert. Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (Twitter link) also cites a source saying that the 41-year-old righty is headed to Colorado Springs. Tomko, who was recently set loose by the Royals, last threw in the bigs in 2011 with the Rangers. He owns a 4.65 ERA over 1,816 career innings with ten clubs, much of them as a starter.
- Pitcher Brian Burres has also signed a minor league deal with the Rockies and will join their Triple-A affiliate, reports Mike Ashmore of MyCentralJersey.com (via Twitter). MLBTR reported back in May that Burres, most recently of the independent league Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, was drawing interest. The 33-year-old owns a 5.75 ERA through 358 1/3 career MLB frames.
- Alfredo Aceves has accepted his outright assignment to Triple- A rather than electing free agency, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Aceves was designated for assignment last week and outrighted to Triple-A on Sunday.
- The Mariners moved southpaw James Paxton to the 60-day disabled list in order to open a 40-man roster spot for Ji-Man Choi, the team announced. Paxton has already spent more than 60 days on the DL while recovering from shoulder inflammation. Choi will return to Double-A action after serving a 50-game PED suspension.
- The Mets selected the contract of catcher Taylor Teagarden on Sunday, the team announced. Teagarden will replaced the demoted Travis d’Arnaud on New York’s 25-man roster. For making the Major League roster, Teagarden will earn $725K, as per the minor league deal he signed with the Mets in January. The 30-year-old Teagarden posted a .950 OPS in 127 PA at Triple-A Las Vegas, a notoriously hitter-friendly park.
- The Angels released outfielder Chevy Clarke, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. Clarke was picked in the first round (30th overall) of the 2010 draft as a high schooler, but he has yet to play above the high-A level, hitting .219/.306/.337 with 23 home runs over 1542 career PA.
- Also from Eddy, the Diamondbacks released right-hander Eric Smith. Originally taken by Arizona in the second round of the 2009 draft, Smith posted a 5.10 ERA over 429 minor league innings (65 starts, 77 relief appearances). Smith was hit with a 50-game suspension last season for taking a drug of abuse, his second such violation.
- The Rangers released right-hander Chris Schwinden last week, as announced by the team’s Triple-A affiliate (via Twitter). Schwinden was hit hard in three starts for Round Rock, posting an 11.25 ERA over 12 innings. The 27-year-old pitched 29 2/3 innings for the Mets in 2011-12 and has pitched for five different organizations (plus an independent league team ) since the start of the 2012 season.
Rockies Designate Wilton Lopez For Assignment
The Rockies announced, via Twitter, that right-hander Wilton Lopez has been designated for assignment in a series of roster moves. Michael Cuddyer has been placed on the 15-day DL with a left shoulder strain, and rookie right-hander Eddie Butler has also hit the DL due to inflammation in his right rotator cuff. Lopez’s DFA creates room for right-hander Christian Bergman, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Additionally, Chad Bettis has been recalled from the minors.
The 30-year-old Lopez spent three seasons as one of the most underrated setup men in baseball with the Astros, pitching to a 2.64 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 2014 1/3 innings. Lopez’s elite command and a ground-ball rate near 56 percent in that time attracted the Rockies, who acquired him in a trade that sent Alex Gillingham and Alex White to Houston in exchange for Lopez and a player to be named later (Jose Monzon).
However, Lopez has largely disappointed in one-and-a-half years with the Rockies, pitching to a sub-par 4.63 ERA. Lopez has allowed 18 hits (three homers) in just 6 1/3 innings this season, and he’s seen stark declines in his strikeout rate, velocity and ground-ball rate since coming over to Colorado. The decline isn’t necessarily a complete shock, as the Phillies were set to acquire him prior to Colorado’s acquisition but called the deal off due to concerns over Lopez’s shoulder.
Quick Hits: Winkler, Choi, D’Arnaud
Rockies prospect Daniel Winkler is headed for an MRI after injuring his elbow, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. Winkler left the Double-A Tulsa Drillers’ game against the Springfield Cardinals in the fourth inning Saturday. Winkler isn’t as well known as Rockies prospects like Jon Gray and Eddie Butler, but he has performed brilliantly this season, posting a 1.41 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 70 innings. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- The Mariners will likely need to make a 40-man roster move Monday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets. Minor-league first baseman Ji-Man Choi is expected to return from a 50-game PED suspension, and he’ll need to take an active spot on the 40-man once again. Choi, 23, was off to a great start for Triple-A Tacoma, hitting .394/.500/.545 in 40 plate appearances there. He hit .295/.394/.535 in 499 plate appearances at three levels in 2013.
- The case of Travis d’Arnaud proves the difficulty involved in predicting which prospects will succeed, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes. The Mets optioned d’Arnaud to Triple-A Las Vegas this weekend after he hit .180/.271/.273 in 145 plate appearances so far this season. Nonetheless, many Mets officials remain upbeat about the former top prospect’s future. “He’s so athletic,” says one. “I think he will be a frontline guy, a pretty good everyday player who will hit some home runs. Is he Buster Posey? I don’t know. But do I think he can be in the big leagues on an everyday basis for eight, ten years? Absolutely.”
Draft Signings: Skoglund, Rays, Helmink, Bukauskas
Here are today’s notable draft news and signings:
- The Royals have agreed to terms with third-round pick Erik Skoglund, who will get the bonus pool amount of $576K, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Skoglund is a projectable lefty and a junior out of Central Florida.
- The Rays have signed their sixth- through ninth-round draft choices, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin tweets. Sixth-rounder Mac James, a catcher from Oklaholma, is a junior, but the other three players (RHP Mike Franco of Florida International, 3B Daniel Miles of Tennessee Tech, and RHP Chris Pike of Oklahoma City University) are all seniors, so the Rays will likely save money against their bonus pool with those picks.
- The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with 12th-round pick Holden Helmink, a righty from a Texas junior college, on a deal worth $100K, Cotillo tweets. $100K is the maximum a team can pay a player drafted after the tenth round without it counting against the team’s bonus pool.
- The Dodgers have agreed to terms with fifth-rounder Jared Walker, a lefty-hitting third baseman from a Georgia high school, on a deal for the bonus pool value of $297K, Cotillo tweets. Walker was committed to Kennesaw State.
- The Rangers have signed sixth-round pick Jose Trevino, Trevino himself tweets. Texas selected the Oral Roberts junior third baseman at No. 186 overall. The bonus pool value of that pick is about $229K.
- The Rockies have agreed to terms with sixth-rounder Max George, Neil Devlin of the Denver Post tweets. The 5-foot-9 shortstop is a local product, hailing from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora. There was no immediate word on George’s bonus, but the pool value of the pick is about $259K.
- The Blue Jays have announced the first signings of their 2014 draft class: prep catcher Matt Morgan (4th round) and Florida right-hander Justin Shafer (8th round). No terms were released, but the slot value (per Baseball America) for the two picks are $458K and $159.9K, respectively.
- Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas tweeted he will honor his commitment to the University of North Carolina and not sign with the Diamondbacks. Bukauskas, rated #33 by Baseball America and #38 by MLB.com, lasted until the 20th round (#600 overall) after asking teams last month not to draft him because he wanted to attend UNC.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.