Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Astros Rumors

Draft Notes: Clinton Hollon, Kent Emanuel

By | at

Here are today's notable draft-related news items and non-first-round draft signings (all slot information courtesy of Baseball America)…

  • The Blue Jays have signed second-round pick Clinton Hollon for a $467K bonus that is just 40 percent of the No. 47 overall selection's assigned pick value, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. There was an issue with Hollon's ulnar collateral ligament on his physical, which caused the prep right-hander from Kentucky to sign well below slot. Hollon can touch 95 mph with his heater and has a sharp slider, according to Callis. The extra money should be especially beneficial to the Jays, who have yet to sign first-rounder Phil Bickford. Bickford is one of just five remaining unsigned first-round picks.
  • Third-round pick Kent Emanuel received the full slot value of $747,700 from the Astros, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). Callis tweets that the UNC left-hander has good command of his 87-91 mph fastball and features a plus changeup as well.
  • Callis also tweets that the Blue Jays ($1.3MM), Astros ($1.077MM), Red Sox ($691K) and Rockies ($491K) are the current bonus pool savings leaders.

Alex Rios’ No-Trade List

By | at

The seven-year, $69.835MM extension that Alex Rios signed with the Blue Jays back in 2008 didn't initially contain no-trade protection, but a limited no-trade clause allowing Rios to block trades to six teams kicked in starting in 2009. Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the six teams to which Rios can block a trade are the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Royals, Astros and Athletics.

The Rockies, Diamondbacks and A's are likely set on outfielders, and the Astros certainly aren't looking to buy at this time. However, the no-trade protection against the Yankees and (to a lesser extent) the Royals is significant, as both teams would make sense as suitors for Rios.

The struggling Yankees scored fewer runs than any team in baseball last month (88) and have a dearth of right-handed power. Offense is said to be New York's primary need in trades. The Royals opened the season with Jeff Francoeur in right field but have since designated him for assignment. Recent reports did state that the chances of Kansas City making a big move were "slim," and David Lough has played well in place of Francoeur.

Astros Acquire Ronald Torreyes

By | at

The Cubs acquired two of the Astros' international bonus pool slots for minor league second baseman Ronald Torreyes, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Cubs announced they received slots 2 and 3 from the Astros, which amount to $784,700.  So far the Cubs' net pool money gain is $963,100 today, bringing their total to $5,520,300 barring more moves.  They added $388,100 from the Orioles and sent $209,700 to the Dodgers.

Torreyes, 20, came to the Cubs from the Reds in the December 2011 trade that also netted Travis Wood and Dave Sappelt, for Sean Marshall.  Sappelt, coincidentally, was recalled by the Cubs today, who placed outfielder Ryan Sweeney on the 60-day DL.  Torreyes has a .260/.337/.381 line in 264 Double-A plate appearances.  Baseball America ranked the 5'7" Torreyes 13th among Reds prospects prior to the 2012 season, explaining that he is an above-average hitter with no power.

Heyman On Nolasco, Dodgers, Utley, Young

By | at

Here's a look at the latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

  • A person familiar with the Ricky Nolasco talks says the Dodgers, Orioles, Giants, Rangers, and Rockies are among the teams in the mix, Heyman writes.  The Dodgers have been considered a favorite since they might be willing to absorb the $5.75MM remaining on Nolasco's $11.5-million 2013 salary, but the source suggested late Monday afternoon that there's isn't a deal out there yet that is good enough to jump on.  Colorado is said to have offered two decent prospects for the hurler but they are skittish about paying the salary.  While some have suggested that the Marlins are anxious to trade Nolasco before his scheduled start on Wednesday, they are still holding out for a quality offer.
  • Heyman hears that the word around baseball is that the Dodgers could have interest in Chase Utley. It isn't known if the Dodgers have gone so far as to contact Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, but he doesn't seem anxious to trade the second baseman despite the fact he is headed towards free agency.  If the Phillies do decide to sell, they are said to be more willing to part with Michael Young, who's interested the Dodgers before. 
  • With the deadline just weeks away, Heyman laid out the market as it stands today.  The piece starts by highlighting the six biggest sellers in the Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins, Marlins, and Astros.

Twins Notes: Buxton, Hughes, International Signings

By | at

Last night, Baseball America's JJ Cooper wrote that an NL scout told him Twins' center field prospect Byron Buxton is the best prospect he's seen in more than a decade of scouting. Buxton's hype has soared this season following a jaw-dropping start at Class A Cedar Rapids, and he's recently been promoted to Class A Advanced Fort Myers. Here's more on last year's No. 2 overall pick and the team that drafted him…

  • Baseball America's Jim Callis opines that were he in the Astros shoes in last season's draft, he'd have taken Buxton over Correa, still gone over-slot on Lance McCullers Jr., and neglected to give fourth-rounder Rio Ruiz his over-slot deal. Callis adds that he likes Correa very much, but preferred Buxton and wasn't high on Ruiz (Twitterlinks).
  • Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports that the Twins are expected to pursue Phil Hughes as a free agent this offseason (Twitter link). The Twins have struggled tremendously in the pitching deparment over the past few years, and Hughes has been a better pitcher away from Yankee Stadium throughout his career.
  • Wolfson also spoke with vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff regarding the upcoming international free agency period. Radcliff expects to sign eight to 10 international free agents and cited the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Italy as areas of focus. The Twins, who have the fourth-largest bonus pool, have been approached by the Rangers about trading some of their funds from that pool, but the team won't do it this week at least (Twitterlinks).
  • Radcliff also told Wolfson (link) that there's "nothing imminent" on the trade front for the Twins.  However, he and the other pro scouts are diligently watching players that they may add at the deadline.  

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Utley, Gonzalez, Crain, Yankees

By | at

As impressive as young players like Manny Machado, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Yasiel Puig have been, no one was more spectacular than young Alex Rodriguez, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  However, A-Rod has since tarnished his legacy by being linked to performance enhancing drugs.  It all comes back to Rodriguez's love of baseball, because for him, being the best was never good enough.  Now he finds himself rehabbing from injury in Tampa, Florida and no one knows how it will play out.  Rodriguez could retire because of a physical disability and collect the remaining $114MM on his contract or he return to the Yankees after the All-Star break and provide the righthanded bat they sorely need.  Here's more from today's column..

  • One team that has at least discussed acquiring the Phillies' Chase Utley is the Royals.  Kansas City would love to stabilize their lineup and/or second base situation with someone of Utley’s caliber.  Meanwhile, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that he wants the second baseman to retire in a Phillies uniform, if possible.
  • The Red Sox are one of the teams extremely interested in Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, but they won’t break the bank for him, according to a team source.  The Sox were certainly burned by the Daisuke Matsuzaka signing and don’t want to get burned again on a deal for the 26-year-old righthander. Even though Gonzalez seems to be the real deal, past injuries seem to be giving some teams pause. 
  • White Sox reliever Jesse Crain will draw interest and Cafardo warns not to rule out the Red Sox. Pitching coach Juan NIeves coached him in Chicago and he’s a stable force at the end of games.  Meanwhile, there will be others vying for Crain, including the Orioles and Yankees.  Our own Charlie Wilmoth recently examined Crain as a trade candidate.
  • FIrst baseman Chris Carter is an interesting righthanded bat the Astros would move for the right package of young players. The Yankees are a possibility since they need a righthanded hitter who can play first base and the outfield.  Even though he strikes out a lot, the 26-year-old Carter could be an intriguing option for clubs. 
  • The Cubs have a lot of desirable trade pieces, starting of course with Matt Garza, who could be dealt sooner rather than later – maybe even sooner than the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco.  Besides Garza, there’s been a lot of interest in outfielder Nate Schierholtz and veteran righthander Scott Feldman, who Cafardo sees as a match for the Orioles.  Outfielders Alfonso Soriano and David DeJesus along with relievers Kevin Gregg and James Russell could be moved as well.
  • While the Twins say that Glen Perkins is not available, they should expect some club – possibly the Tigers - to offer a substantial package.

International Notes: July 2, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez

By | at

Fresh off of wielding the biggest budget in the domestic amateur draft, the Astros are preparing once again to open the club's wallet for some high-risk, high-reward prospects. The 16-year old international signing period opens on July 2, and Houston will have an available bonus pool of $4.9MM to spend, the most in all of baseball. As GM Jeff Luhnow described it to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the onset of the signing period "is basically a free-for-all." Luhnow continued: "From Monday at midnight and Tuesday at midnight, there will be about $20-30MM spent by the industry in that one day." 

  • As MLBTR's Marc Hulet explained earlier today, Baseball America's Ben Badler is a key source of information on the July 2 market. Expanding on his previous work, Badler released his list of the top thirty available prospects who are expected to sign just a few days from now. He also provides an excellent explanation of the way the market works. His top five players are Eloy Jimenez (outfielder, Dominican Republic), Gleyber Torres (shortstop, Venezuela), Rafael Devers (third baseman, D.R.), Luis Encarnacion (third baseman, D.R.), and Leonardo Molina (center fielder, D.R.).
  • One international prospect who will not go through the draft process is 26-year-old Cuban righty Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. As the recently-declared free agent awaits government authorization to begin negotiating a deal, he has already been heavily scouted by interested clubs. MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez notes (via Twitter) that he expects Gonzalez to sign quickly once the government clears him. 
  • Meanwhile, CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler — who reported that Gonzalez could get as much as $60MM on a five-year pact — tweets that the Dodgers could be planning to "go all out" to sign the hurler. Peter Gammons, likewise, said on Twitter that there were many teams interested but that "the bets are still on the Dodgers." 
  • The deep pockets of Los Angeles, along with the broad interest of many big league clubs, could drive a substantial price for Gonzalez. A reported 45 scouts were on hand to watch him throw for the Tijuana Toros, writes Knobler. Teams that sent representatives included the Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Angels. Knobler says that scouts have estimated a Gonzalez signing bonus at anywhere from $40MM to $60MM and above.

Deadline Notes: Starters, Astros, Utley, Braves, Perkins

By | at

Let's have a look at the latest talk surrounding the approaching trade deadline season:

  • Starting pitching is an active priority for the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Hurlers that the club is reportedly looking at include Ricky Nolasco (Marlins), Edinson Volquez and Andrew Cashner (Padres), Matt Garza and Scott Feldman (Cubs), Jake Peavy (White Sox), Bud Norris (Astros), and recent Oriole Joe Saunders (currently with the Mariners). The trouble for the O's, according to Connolly, will be coming up with enough prospects that the team can stomach dealing.
  • The Giants are most interested in acquiring a starter that the team can control for more than this year, tweets FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. In spite of that preference, Morosi says that San Francisco is interested in popular trade subject Matt Garza. 
  • The Cubs' Garza is generating a lot of attention given his evident availability and intriguing return from a long DL stint. Paul Swydan of Fangraphs wonders, however, whether the oft-injured Garza is really worth the hype. Swydan says that Garza's overall track record as a solid middle or back-of-the-rotation starter is what teams should expect to be buying, especially since his recent starts have come against some of baseball's weaker-hitting clubs.
  • Trade talks are "ongoing" for two prominent members of the Astros, starter Bud Norris and closer Jose Veras, tweets Morosi. Both were recent subjects of MLBTR trade candidate analysis, as Mark Polishuk took a look at Norris and Steve Adams analyzed Veras.
  • The most obvious trade in baseball, according to Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, is a deal sending Chase Utley from the Phillies to the Athletics. Cameron argues that Utley is still a highly productive second bagger, and would be a huge upgrade at the spot that the A's most need one.
  • With the Braves losing key bench bat Ramiro Pena to season-ending shoulder surgery, MLB.com's Mark Bowman wonders whether the team will be more inclined to seek a third baseman before the trade deadline. While Chris Johnson has hit the ball fantastically, he has been a problem on the defensive side. Meanwhile, the team designated and then traded Johnson's early-season platoon partner, Juan Francisco, earlier in the year.
  • The Twins face a difficult choice with 30-year-old closer Glen Perkins, writes ESPN's Buster Olney (on Insider). (Olney expanded upon his tweet yesterday addressing the Perkins situation.) With Perkins' value trending way up — he sports a 2.12 ERA, has registered 12.4 K/9 against just 2.1 BB/9, and is inked to a very reasonable three-year deal (plus option) — Minnesota could reap a major return. 

Yovani Gallardo’s No-Trade List

By | at

When Yovani Gallardo signed his five-year, $30.1MM extension early in the 2010 season, details surrounding his no-trade clause were a bit vague. It was known that he received full no-trade protection through the 2012 season, but after that he would be able to list just 10 teams to which he could block trades.

Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com has learned the 10 teams on the list, and those teams have been confirmed by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes. Gallardo can block trades to the Orioles, Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, Astros, Angels, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates and Blue Jays.

Last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Diamondbacks, who don't appear on that list, are interested in Gallardo. Gallardo could, of course, waive his no-trade clause and approve a deal to one of the aforementioned teams (the Orioles, for example, are rumored to be seeking rotation upgrades), but doing so creates another hurdle in the already complicated process of hammering out a deadline deal.

Gallardo, 27, is owed $11.25MM in 2014 and has a $13MM club option for the 2015 season on his contract. He's in the midst of a down season, having pitched to a 4.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. While his strikeouts and velocity are down (he's averaging 90.6 mph on his heater), that walk rate is the second best of his career, and his 48.7 percent ground-ball rate is a career best.

Minor Moves: Bonser, Perry, LeBlanc, Seaton

By | at

Today's minor moves…

  • Right-hander Boof Bonser has been released by the Giants, tweets Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 31-year-old made his way back to the Giants organization in 2012. Bonser was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2000 draft and traded to the Twins along with Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for A.J. Pierzynski in 2003. He ultimately made 60 starts for the Twins and slotted into their postseason rotation in 2006 after a solid rookie campaign.
  • The Nationals have outrighted Double-A right-hander Ryan Perry from their 40-man roster, the team announced on Twitter. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Taylor Jordan, who will step into the rotation in lieu of the injured Dan Haren. Perry, a former first-round pick of the Tigers, has an unsightly 8.52 ERA in 43 1/3 innings between Triple-A and Double-A this season.
  • The Astros announced yesterday they've outrighted pitchers Wade LeBlanc and Ross Seaton to the minors.  LeBlanc, 28, had joined the organization from the Marlins in a waiver claim earlier this month.  The soft-tossing southpaw has a 5.50 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.20 HR/9, and 38.3% groundball rate in 52 1/3 innings this year, including seven starts.  
  • Seaton, 23, was drafted out of high school in the third round in 2008 under previous Astros GM Ed Wade and signed to an above-slot deal.  Seaton hasn't reached the Majors, but others chosen in that round before him include Craig Kimbrel, Danny Espinosa, and Vance Worley.  Seaton was ranked by Baseball America as the Astros' third-best prospect after he was drafted, and even before this season was ranked 21st.  Before this season, BA downgraded their assessment to say that Seaton "profiles as a back-of-the-rotation innings-eater."  Having grown up in the Houston area, Seaton was excited to have been added to the Astros' 40-man roster in November, but he's lost that spot after 55 innings in 2013.
  • Three players currently reside in DFA limbo: Francisley Bueno of the Royals, Carlos Marmol of the Cubs and Eric Thames of the Mariners.
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