Draft Links: Compensation Picks, Seniors, Yaz
Yesterday afternoon (4pm CT, specifically) was the deadline for teams to sign this year's draft picks. Every first round and supplemental first round pick signed except for Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, who turned down the Pirates as the eighth overall pick. Here's a round-up of some post-draft links…
- Jim Callis of Baseball America lists the four compensation picks for next year's draft. The Pirates will get the ninth overall pick for Appel while the Mets (76th overall), Phillies (96th), and Athletics (supplemental third round) will also receive picks for failing to sign players before yesterday's deadline.
- The deadline does not apply to college seniors with college eligibility remaining, so Preston Tucker (seventh round, Astros), Jarret Leverett (15th, Twins), and Tyler Olson (17th, Athletics) are still eligible to sign at any time according to Callis (on Twitter).
- The Mariners offered 30th round pick Mike Yastrzemski a $300k bonus according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons (on Twitter), but he decided to return to Vanderbilt to finish his degree. Mike is the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.
- Fifteen picks in the top ten rounds remained unsigned as of 15 minutes prior to the deadline, and Callis explains what happened with each of them.
NL Central Notes: Reds, Cardinals, Baker, Astros
Links out of the NL Central..
- The Reds need a leadoff hitter, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Denard Span, Shane Victorino, Juan Pierre, David DeJesus and Coco Crisp could be among the options GM Walt Jocketty considers, Rosenthal suggests. Recently, MLBTR took a detailed look at the trade market for outfielders.
- Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said the club's initial focus was landing a starting pitcher but he has now "cast a little larger net to include relief pitching," writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- While skipper Dusty Baker is as feisty as ever, his future with the Reds is hazy, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Baker is on the back end of a two-year extension that he signed with the club on the heels of his original three-year pact.
- New Astros owner Jim Crane held a Q-and-A session yesterday and Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle has the goods. Crane gave GM Jeff Luhnow a positive evaluation for the first half of the season and credited him for making quality trades with the future in mind.
- Brewers right-hander Tim Dillard has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A, tweets club Media Relations Director Mike Vassallo. Dillard has a 4.38 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 37 innings for Milwaukee this season.
Starting Pitching Rumors: Blue Jays, White Sox
The Orioles are just one of many teams looking for starting pitching, and they reportedly have their sights set on Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez. Here's the latest on some other clubs in need of rotation help…
- The Blue Jays are showing the most interest in pitchers under control beyond this season, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Matt Garza and Rodriguez are among those high on their list, according to sources.
- The White Sox's plans for the deadline depend heavily on John Danks and Philip Humber, tweets Morosi. If the two injured hurlers are not back soon, expect GM Kenny Williams to actively seek help for the battered rotation.
O’s Have Contacted Astros About Wandy Rodriguez
The Orioles are in the thick of the hunt for a postseason berth and are looking to shore up their starting rotation. Yesterday we learned that they were "going hard" after Zack Greinke, and today Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com (on Twitter) reports they've contacted the Astros about Wandy Rodriguez. Kubatko says GM Dan Duquette is talking to a lot of teams at the moment.
Rodriguez, 33, is one of a number of players Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is reportedly prepared to move. Carlos Lee was just traded to the Marlins and Brett Myers could be of interest to clubs in need of bullpen help. Wandy is no stranger to the trade rumor circuit and has pitched to a 3.54 ERA with his lowest strikeout rate (5.8 K/9) since his rookie year this season. He's owed approximately $5MM for the rest of 2012 and $13MM for 2014. His $13MM club option for 2014 becomes a player option if traded.
Baltimore got seven innings of one-run ball out of Miguel Gonzalez last night, but Brian Matusz was just demoted to Triple-A and Jake Arrieta owns a 6.13 ERA through 18 starts. The O's are 5.5 games back in the AL East but currently hold a 1.5 game lead on a wildcard spot. Adding a third reliable starter to Wei-Yin Chen and Jason Hammel figures to be Duquette's top priority leading up to the deadline.
Astros Likely To Dismiss Brad Mills After Season
The Astros have lost eight straight games and currently sit in fifth place in the NL Central, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that they will likely dismiss manager Brad Mills after the season. GM Jeff Luhnow said that no change is imminent, however.
"We haven’t talked about next year at all," said Luhnow. "I’ve told everyone we’re going to wait. I’m not even thinking about it at this point … Brad has done a good job. We get along well. There is no reason to make a change … At the end of the year is when I’m going to spend time looking at all aspects of the operation. But I’m not spending time on it right now."
Mills was hired prior to the 2010 season when the team was under different ownership with a different GM. Jim Crane purchased the club from Drayton McLane last year, and Luhnow was hired during the offseason. Mills is under contract through the end of the season with a club option for 2013. The Astros are 164-243 under his watch and finished with the worst record in baseball a year ago.
Carlos Lee Trade Reactions
The Astros sent Carlos Lee to the Marlins for prospects Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen in a deal that was announced earlier today. The trade provides the Marlins with much needed stability at first base and gives the Astros two more young pieces as they continue to build for the the future. Here are some reactions to the deal:
- With the lowest OPS production at first base in the big leagues this season, the Marlins' acquisition of Lee makes for a natural fit given the veteran's reputation as a professional hitter, says Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com (video link).
- Dominguez and Rasmussen may eventually find themselves playing in Houston, but don't look for the duo to develop into stars, writes Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.
- The ceiling for the Astros' newest prospects projects Dominguez as a defensive replacement and Rasmussen coming out of the bullpen, predicts Keith Law of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow spoke with the Marlins about a potential Lee trade for over a week with conversation intensifying on Wednesday morning, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
- Luhnow says Chris Johnson remains the Astros' third baseman with Dominguez providing insurance for the team given Johnson's health issues, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter).
Marlins Acquire Carlos Lee
The Marlins have played to a 38-42 record since changing their name and logo, moving to a new stadium and spending aggressively on free agents, but the slow start will not stop them from adding midseason reinforcements before this year's trade deadline. The Marlins have acquired Carlos Lee from the Astros for Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen, the teams announced. The move should provide Miami with some much-needed offense at first base and add depth to the Astros' minor league system.
“Carlos has been an important part of our team and our community in Houston for almost six seasons and he will be missed,” GM Jeff Luhnow said. “We made this move with an eye towards the future, and are very excited about adding Dominguez and Rasmussen to our talent base. Both players have a bright future.”
Lee, 36, is earning $18.5MM in the final season of a six-year, $100MM contract. The Astros are covering all but the pro-rated minimum of Lee's salary, Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel reports (Twitter links). Though Lee didn't enjoy no-trade protection in the form of ten and five rights, his contract allowed him to block trades to 14 clubs. The Marlins weren't on Lee's 14-team no-trade list.
Lee has five homers and a .286/.336/.412 batting line in 274 plate appearances so far in 2012. He has slowed down in recent years, but his bat will still represent an upgrade over Gaby Sanchez's .194/.240/.283 batting line.
Dominguez, 22, has a reputation as a strong defensive third baseman, but he projects as a below-average hitter. The 2007 first round selection posted a .234/.291/.357 batting line at Triple-A this year and he has a .252/.321/.410 batting line in six minor league seasons. Dominguez, who appeared in 17 games on last year's Marlins team, ranked fourth on Baseball America's list of top Marlins prospects following the 2011 season.
Rasmussen, 23, entered the season as Miami's seventh-best prospect, according to Baseball America. The 5'9" left-hander has a 3.90 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 87 2/3 innings as a starter at Class A Jupiter this year. The Marlins selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney first reported the deal. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…
- The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
- Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
- The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
- Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
- The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
- Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Cardinals, Greinke, Astros, Rasmus
With Chris Carpenter set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a nerve condition in his shoulder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Cardinals are in the market for at least one starter and one reliever. St. Louis has trade chips though the new collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow teams to recoup draft pick compensation for rental players, changing the landscape.
Let's round up the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…
- Zack Greinke would likely welcome a trade to – and a chance to sign long-term with – the Cardinals, though it's unclear if the Brewers would be willing to trade him within the division.
- The Astros are prepared to move Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, though Jed Lowrie is essentially unavailable. Rosenthal says they could be an obvious trade partner for St. Louis since GM Jeff Luhnow spent nine years in the Cardinals' front office.
- The Cardinals may not want to invest $20MM+ annually into a pitcher, but both Lance Berkman ($12MM) and Kyle Lohse ($11.875MM) will be off the books after this season.
- The Blue Jays' immediate strategy may be to acquire a modest rotation upgrade before reassessing at the trade deadline, shortly before Brandon Morrow returns from his oblique injury. Rosenthal believes they should consider selling high on Colby Rasmus.
- Teams continue to call the Angels about Peter Bourjos and some believe he could be the centerpiece of a deal for a quality starting pitcher. The Halos believe the young outfielder is a building block for the future, however. They do not appear to be in the market for a pitcher at the moment.
- The difference in income tax rates between Texas (none) and California (among the highest in the country) was an issue for Astros first baseman Carlos Lee as he mulled over a potential trade to the Dodgers. Los Angeles may have been willing to help "bridge the gap" had he shown enthusiasm for the deal.
International Signings: Blue Jays, Pirates, Athletics
This year’s July 2 signing period opened yesterday, and teams got started immediately with a number of significant contracts on the first day of deal-making. The action continues today as the Twins and Indians have already signed players. We’ll keep track of other noteworthy deals right here with the latest updates up top:
- The Astros agreed to terms on contracts with outfielder Luis Payano, shortstop Kristian Trompiz, and catcher Victor Tavarez, the team announced. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
- Dominican shortstop Richard Urena has signed with the Blue Jays, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old is ranked as the No. 13 international prospect by Baseball America and projects to stick at shortstop.
- The Pirates signed Dominican third baseman Julio Delacruz for $700K, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Baseball America notes that the 16-year-old has an impressive feel for hitting from the right side. "We are very excited to have signed Julio Delacruz who is, in our estimation, the best pure hitter available in Latin America this season,” director of Latin American scouting Rene Gayo said in a statement from the team.
- The Athletics signed Dominican outfielder Luis Barrera for $450K, Badler reports. The 16-year-old Barrera has a smooth left-handed swing and profiles at first base or in left field.