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AL Central Notes: Inge, Thome, White Sox, Kipnis

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As the Indians and Tigers continue their battle for the top spot in the AL Central this weekend, let's look at news from all around the division….

GM Candidate: Al Avila

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MLBTR’s list of general manager candidates introduced 20 people who were identified by their peers as potential Major League GMs. We’re now going to bring you closer to the candidates with a series of pieces. Today the series continues with Tigers executive Al Avila.  

Cabrera Renteria

When you consider where Al Avila came from, it’s not surprising that he has an eye for talent. The Tigers assistant GM grew up watching baseball alongside his father, longtime Dodgers scout and executive Ralph Avila, family friend Tommy Lasorda and veteran baseball executive Al Campanis. So Avila had no choice – he watched a lot of baseball growing up.

He played, too, but unlike his son, All-Star catcher Alex Avila, Al didn’t have much of a playing career. Soon after signing as a non-drafted free agent, he moved on to other pursuits, running the Daytona Beach Admirals (a job that included everything from public address announcing to helping the grounds crew) and coaching at St. Thomas University. 

Avila, a native Spanish speaker, has extensive experience in Latin America, so he was a fit for the expansion Marlins and joined the club as assistant director of Latin American operations in 1992. Under Avila, who became scouting director in 1998, the Marlins signed Luis Castillo, Alex Gonzalez, Edgar Renteria, Livan Hernandez and Miguel Cabrera (pictured with Renteria) and drafted Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett.  It certainly appears that Avila’s early exposure to organized baseball paid off.

“My strength is on the baseball side as far as scouting and player development,” he told MLBTR. “As far as the statistics, I’m not on the computer and creating all the stats, but I do use them. I see them as a tool to help you reach a better decision.”

Avila says he considers numbers while making decisions, but isn’t about to forget his background in scouting and player development. In the draft, for example, the Tigers will take players’ stats into account and ultimately trust the eye of scouting director David Chadd.

Avila and Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, the Marlins' GM from 1991-2001, worked together in Florida, leading the Marlins to their first World Series Championship, before assuming their current roles in Detroit. Avila, who served as the Marlins’ interim GM after Dombrowski left the Marlins for the Tigers, now assists the GM with the Major League roster, the minor league affiliates, pro scouting and amateur scouting. 

It’s a broad set of responsibilities that hasn’t gone unnoticed by MLB owners. Avila interviewed for GM jobs with the Reds, Orioles, Mariners and Diamondbacks and became a finalist for the latter two openings. More recently, the Tigers denied the Mets' request to interview Avila this past offseason, but his peers say it won’t be a surprise if Avila ends up in a GM’s office before long.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Teams Spend $236MM On Draft

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The totals are in and Major League teams have again broken draft spending records. According to figures compiled by Jim Callis of Baseball America, MLB teams spent a combined $227.94MM on this year's draft bonuses and $235.99MM including additional guaranteed money in MLB deals for Danny Hultzen, Trevor Bauer, Dylan Bundy, Anthony Rendon and Matt Purke. 

A year ago, MLB teams spent about $35MM less: $195.78MM, or $201.83MM including additional guaranteed money in big league deals. The Pirates led the way in 2011, spending over $17MM and breaking the $11.93MM record the Nationals set a year ago. Washington also broke its previous record, spending over $15MM on Rendon, Purke, Alex Meyer, Brian Goodwin and others.

Though only seven teams had ever spent over $10MM on the draft before this year, ten teams did so in 2011, according to Baseball America. Along with the Pirates and Nationals, the Royals ($14.01MM), Cubs ($11.95MM), Diamondbacks ($11.93MM), Rays ($11.48MM), Mariners ($11.33MM), Padres ($11.02MM), Blue Jays ($11.00MM) and Red Sox ($10.98MM) spent eight figures on the draft.

The Tigers ($2.88MM), who didn’t select until the second round, and White Sox ($2.76MM) were the only clubs to spend less than $3MM, according to Baseball America.

Mariners Acquire Ruffin To Complete Tigers Deal

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired Chance Ruffin from the Tigers to complete the trade that sent Doug Fister and David Pauley to Detroit for Casper Wells, Charlie Furbush, Francisco Martinez and a player to be named on July 30th.

Ruffin, a supplemental first round pick in last year's draft, reached the big leagues earlier in the summer and appeared in two games for the Tigers. The 22-year-old could not be traded until this week since he had signed his first professional contract less than a year ago at the time of the July 31st trade deadline. In 48 2/3 minor league innings since signing last summer, Ruffin has a 2.03 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9. 

Baseball America rated Ruffin as the Tigers' seventh best prospect before the season and identified his slider as the best among Detroit's prospects. His father, Bruce Ruffin, pitched in the Major Leagues for 12 seasons with the Phillies, Brewers and Rockies.

Twins Acquire Oliveros To Complete Young Trade

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The Twins acquired righty reliever Lester Oliveros from the Tigers to complete yesterday's Delmon Young trade, announced the team.  The Twins had until October 15th to choose the player to be named later, but they needed less than 24 hours.  They also received lefty Cole Nelson in the deal.

Oliveros, 23, dominated at Double-A this year, earning a promotion to Triple-A in May and to the bigs in July.  He was sent back to Triple-A later that month, but was demoted back to Double-A on Saturday.  Baseball America ranked Oliveros 17th among Tigers prospects prior to the season, noting that he profiles as a middle reliever.

Young got off to a fine start for the Tigers yesterday, homering in his first plate appearance.

American League Over Slot Signings

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Most teams will exceed MLB's slot recommendations on at least a few players.  Here's the latest on such signings from the American League:

  • The Mariners signed second rounder Brad Miller for $750K, according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles signed sixth rounder Nicky Delmonico for $1.525MM, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Earlier on, the Orioles agreed to sign second rounder Jason Esposito for $600K, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (on Twitter). Before that, the Orioles signed 26th round pick Zach Davies for $575K, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis.  The high school righty has drawn some Mike Leake comparisons, writes Callis.  Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun was told last night that this deal isn't done, but it could be headed in the right direction.
  • Red Sox seventh rounder Cody Kukuk signed for $800K, according to Callis (on Twitter). Boston also signed fourth rounder Noe Ramirez, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The right-hander obtains a $625K bonus, according to Speier and Callis.
  • The Blue Jays signed seventh rounder Christian Lopes for $800K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Blue Jays also signed 13th round pick Matt Dean, tweets Callis.  The high school third baseman signed for $737.5K, tweets ESPN's Keith Law.  BA considers him the best prep third base prospect in the draft.
  • The Yankees signed Greg Bird for $1.1MM, according to Zoodig, an athlete digital media platform, on Twitter. The Yankees signed sixth rounder Jake Cave for $825K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The Yankees also signed third rounder Jordan Cote for $725K, according to Callis. The high school right-hander has a fastball in the 90 mph range and stands 6'5". Earlier today, the Yankees signed 20th round pick and high school lefty Daniel Camarena for $335K, tweets Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA.
  • The Indians signed 18th rounder Shawn Armstrong for $325K, according to Rogers (on Twitter). The Indians also announced that they have signed second round right-hander Dillon Howard. He gets a $1.85MM bonus, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (on Twitter).
  • The Royals signed 16th rounder Jack Lopez for $750K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The Royals have also signed third rounder Bryan Brickhouse for $1.5MM, reports Callis. The high school right-hander received the second largest bonus outside of the top 18 picks so far. Earlier today, the Royals signed fourth round pick and high school righty Kyle Smith for $695K, reports Callis.  The Royals also signed 29th round pick Jake Junis for $675K, reports Callis.  Junis, an athletic high school righty from Illinois, is represented by Frontline.
  • The Angels have agreed to terms with sixth rounder Austin Wood, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The USC righty got $150K.
  • The Twins signed tenth rounder Brett Lee for $150K, according to John Manuel and Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
  • The Tigers signed 15th round pick and high school outfielder Tyler Gibson for $525K, tweets Rogers.

Tigers Acquire Delmon Young

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In a surprising intra-division deal, the Twins announced today that they've traded left fielder Delmon Young to the Tigers for minor league lefty Cole Nelson and a player to be named later.  The press release notes that the PTBNL must be chosen on or before October 15th.  The Tigers already had an open spot on the 40-man roster for Young.  It's not yet clear whether Young cleared waivers, or just made it past the seven American League clubs that would have allowed the Tigers to win the claim.  Young won't have to alter his plans, as the Twins were headed to Detroit tonight to begin a three-game set.

Young

Young, 25, is hitting just .266/.305/.357 in 325 plate appearances in a season that has included separate DL stints for oblique and ankle strains.  Though he's generally regarded as a subpar defender, his UZR is positive in this year's 642 inning sample.  Young (pictured) is under team control through next year, but with a mild raise likely from this year's $5.375MM salary, the Twins weren't necessarily going to tender him a contract in December.  By trading Young now, the Twins saved about $1.3MM in salary.    

Drafted first overall by the Rays in 2003, Young was the key part of the '07 challenge trade that sent Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza to Tampa Bay.  He hasn't lived up to his potential, posting solid batting averages but failing to draw walks or hit for power outside of his .493 slugging percentage last year.  Still, a year ago it was hard to picture the Twins moving Young, especially to a division rival.  

With the Tigers' Brennan Boesch expected to return from a strained thumb tonight and Young now in the mix, the job of right fielder Magglio Ordonez is in jeopardy.

Nelson, 22, has a 4.87 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, and 0.5 HR/9 in 105 1/3 innings for the Tigers' High-A club this year.  He's spent time in the rotation and bullpen.  As our transaction tracker shows, this is the first trade between GMs Dave Dombrowski and Bill Smith.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Central Notes: Leyland, Big Z, Brewers, Lindor

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Here's the latest from some of baseball's central clubs, as the division-leading Tigers stage a comeback against the O's on the strength of a Miguel Cabrera three-run bomb …

  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who signed a one-year extension through 2012 on Monday, won't retire even if his club goes deep into the postseason, two sources tell Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • The Cubs knew within two hours of Carlos Zambrano's tirade that he wasn't serious about retiring, and the righty returned his belongings to his locker later that night, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Of course, these are the events that led to Big Z being added to the disqualified list earlier today.
  • The Brewers probably won't reach agreement with their first-round picks, Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley, before Monday, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • Talks twixt the Indians and first-round pick Francisco Lindor (No. 8 overall) could also come down to the wire on Monday, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Lindor, a shortstop, is represented by Sportsmeter, LLC, the same agency that brokered supplemental rounder Nick Castellanos' $3.45MM bonus with the Tigers last season, as Bastian notes. That sum was the fifth-highest among last year's first and supplemental rounders.

Quick Hits: Tigers, Phillies, Soriano

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Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin is starting to look like one of the top acquisitions of last offseason. He has a .279/.332/.408 line with seven homers and 29 stolen bases after today's game. Here are today's ilnks…

Quick Hits: Tigers, Angels, Rhodes, Pirates

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Ubaldo Jimenez makes his Cleveland debut tonight as the Indians look to gain more ground on the division leading Tigers. Here are today's links…

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