2012 Vesting Options Update
Bobby Abreu's $9MM option for next season vested last weekend, so let's look around the league to see where some other players with vesting options stand…
- Rafael Furcal, Cardinals: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 179 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
- Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue, and he's only thrown 54 innings. The Dodgers won't have to worry about this one.
- Koji Uehara, Rangers: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 46 games and finished 20, putting him on pace for 67 and 29, respectively.
- Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes made 32 appearances with the Rangers before being designated for assignment earlier this week. Even if another team picks him up in short order, he's still unlikely to appear in enough games for the option to kick in.
- Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 47 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 68 games this year.
- Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 34 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 31 of the team's final 51 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.
Francisco Rodriguez agreed to waive his vesting option in exchange for additional compensation following the trade that sent him to the Brewers. He would have been guaranteed a $17.5MM salary for next season had he finished 55 games this year and been declared healthy by doctors.
Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.
Draft Notes: Swihart, Camarena, Starling
A few draft items of note, as Ross Detwiler, the first player of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft to reach the big leagues, exits his start in Colorado …
- The Red Sox hosted first-round draft pick Blake Swihart at Fenway Park prior to tonight's game against the Indians, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Swihart, the No. 26 overall pick, took batting practice, although he remains unsigned. The switch-hitting catcher has committed to the University of Texas. This sort of workout is common, so it may not indicate that an agreement is imminent, although it can't hurt, either.
- Likewise, the Yankees worked out 20th-round pick Dan Camarena, a right-handed prep pitcher from San Diego, writes Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues. Though he was taken later in the draft, Camarena was actually ranked No. 138 among all prospects prior to the draft by Baseball America, according to Axisa, so it looks like the Yanks will have to go well over slot to get him signed up.
- Royals first-rounder Bubba Starling, the No. 5 pick overall, told Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star that "it's getting really stressful now," in reference to the approaching Aug. 15 deadline for draft picks to sign. Starling is currently partaking in football practice with Nebraska, where he's committed to play. Most draft experts think he'll sign with the Royals, however.
Central Notes: Bourn, Guillen, Soto, Rhodes
The latest from the Central divisions….
- The Astros wanted Ross Detwiler as part of any package the Nationals offered for Michael Bourn, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Washington didn't want to part with its young southpaw, so the Nats' chance to acquire Bourn the day before the trade deadline evaporated. Bourn instead went to one of Washington's NL East rivals.
- In a video interview with Graham Bensinger of Yahoo Sports, Ozzie Guillen says that he recently told White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf that "If you want me to stay, a lot of things [have] got to be better." Guillen also said, however, that he wants to remain in Chicago and is fully committed to his current team, despite some rumors connecting him to the Marlins job in 2012. "It'd be an honor for me to manage the Marlins," Guillen said. "Do I want to manage the Marlins? No, because I'm managing the White Sox now."
- Guillen's future is also a topic in Doug Padilla and Bruce Levine's Cubs-and-White Sox chat for ESPN Chicago. Padilla and Levine discuss why both teams kept players like Carlos Quentin and Marlon Byrd at the trade deadline, Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn's potential as a future GM and why Mike Quade is playing so many veterans.
- Also of note from the chat is Levine's news that the Pirates were interested in Geovany Soto, but were told by the Cubs that Soto wasn't available.
- The Cardinals may have interest in Arthur Rhodes, who was designated for assignment today by the Rangers. MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that the Cards have "held significant interest [in Rhodes] in recent years" and notes that Tony La Russa made some vague quotes both praising Rhodes and saying his team needed another southpaw reliever.
- The Royals may have to do some roster juggling in August and September to find playing time for all of their young prospects, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
Draft Signings: Red Sox, Rays, Royals
Now that the trade deadline is behind us, the next big event is the draft signing deadline on August 15th. We'll keep track of any draft signings here…
- The Cubs have signed ninth rounder Garrett Schecht for an above-slot $235K, reports Callis on Twitter. The high school outfielder from Illinois received the largest bonus in the ninth round so far.
- The Red Sox have signed third rounder Jordan Weems according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter). Weems, a catcher from a Georgia high school, received a $500K bonus. MLB.com's slot recommendation was $275K.
- Callis tweets that the Rays have signed fourth rounder Riccio Torrez for $180K, just above MLB's slot recommendation of $169K. Torrez is a third baseman from Arizona State.
- The Royals have signed their second-round pick, catcher Cameron Gallagher, according to a team press release. Callis says (on Twitter) he received a $750K signing bonus, well above MLB's slot recommendation of $563K. The club has now signed 26 of their 50 selections in this year's draft.
AL Central Trades
Here are this month's trades in the AL Central, headlined by the deal that brought Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians..
Indians
- Acquired outfield prospect Thomas Neal from the Indians for shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
- Acquired Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies for Joe Gardner, Alex White, Matt McBride and a player to be named later. The deal is expected to include left-hander Drew Pomeranz once he's eligible to be traded in mid-August.
- Acquired right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and about $3.9MM from the Cubs for minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith.
Royals
- Acquired infielder/outfielder Yamaico Navarro and reliever Kendal Volz from the Red Sox for infielder Mike Aviles.
- Acquired prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez from the Tigers for Wilson Betemit.
Tigers
- Acquired starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from the Mariners for third baseman Francisco Martinez, outfielder Casper Wells, southpaw Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later. The PTBNL is reportedly one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft, meaning that it's either Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin, or Drew Smyly.
- Acquired Wilson Betemit from the Royals for prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez.
Twins
- The Twins didn't complete any of the deals they discussed.
White Sox
- Acquired reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart from the Blue Jays for starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen.
Quick Hits: Slowey, Royals, Lee, Reddick
For a while, it seemed as though we'd have a quiet trade deadline. So much for that – today we saw Ubaldo Jimenez, Derrek Lee, Orlando Cabrera, Rich Harden, Koji Uehara, Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Jason Marquis, Mike Aviles, Jerry Hairston Jr., Doug Fister and David Pauley all get traded. Let's gear up for the deadline itself with another round of links…
- The Twins would like to move Kevin Slowey and the Rockies are interested, though they don't want to pay too much for him, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- Teams are still calling on Bruce Chen, Jeff Francis and Kyle Davies of the Royals, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Any deal will likely come at the deadline tomorrow.
- Teams are still inquiring on Brandon League, even though top Mariners executives have said he's going nowhere, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels expects a quiet day tomorrow, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros would love to convince Carlos Lee that there's no point in refusing to waive his no-trade clause, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- The Astros wanted a package of players including Josh Reddick and Kyle Weiland from the Red Sox for Hunter Pence, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Red Sox Acquire Mike Aviles
The Red Sox acquired infielder Mike Aviles from the Royals for infielder/outfielder Yamaico Navarro and reliever Kendal Volz, according to the Royals' official Twitter feed.
Aviles, 30, has struggled this year, getting demoted in June, but owns a career line of .286/.317/.417 in 1218 plate appearances. He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2008, and is capable of playing second base, shortstop, and third base. He'll be arbitration eligible for the first time after the season and is under team control through 2014.
Navarro, 23, hit .258/.362/.469 in 149 Triple-A plate appearances this year, playing all over the diamond. Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked Navarro 12th among Red Sox prospects, citing 15-20 home run potential but questioning his maturity. Volz, 23, posted a 3.33 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and 1.1 HR/9 in 51 1/3 relief innings at High-A this year and is not among the team's top 30.
Quiet Deadline Possible For Royals
Though Jeff Francis, Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies are drawing interest from several clubs, the Royals may hold onto all three and continue using a six-man rotation, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The Royals continue to say they’re happy to hold onto the starters, who hit free agency after the season.
“Nothing has changed with our situation,” GM Dayton Moore told Dutton. “The guys we have, I think, are more valuable to us than the potential [return].”
Chen projects as a Type B free agent under our most recent projections, so the Royals could obtain a supplementary draft pick if the left-hander turns down an offer of arbitration to sign elsewhere. Francis and Davies, however, don’t currently project as ranked free agents, so the Royals can’t expect picks for them.
Kansas City appears to be seeking a number three starter (or close to it) for Melky Cabrera or Jeff Francoeur. However, trades involving the two outfielders don’t appear to be brewing at the moment.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Marquis, Soria
The Indians acquired Kosuke Fukudome from the Cubs today and they might not be done yet. GM Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s open to adding another pitcher or a hitter – even another outfielder. Here are some other notes and rumors from around the AL Central…
- The Indians should see a "marginal improvement" after adding Fukudome, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law. The Indians, who gave up two "fringy" prospects for the outfielder, are getting a player with enough on-base skills to help out.
- Antonetti, by the way, called the improvement “incremental.”
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson confirms that the Tigers are interested in Jason Marquis (Twitter link). A scout suggested to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Marquis is out there now and could clear waivers next month to enable an August trade (Twitter link).
- There are indications that Joakim Soria will stay in Kansas City, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Royals Reach Agreement With Adalberto Mondesi
The Royals reached a $2MM agreement with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, reports ESPN's Enrique Rojas (link in Spanish). Adalberto's father is Raul Mondesi, the former 1994 Rookie of the Year and current mayor of San Cristobal.
The scouting report from Baseball America:
Mondesi has a thin frame and is one of the few high-profile Latin American shortstops this year who projects to stay at the position. He's an above-average runner with good quickness, an average arm and solid hands. He doesn't have flashy tools, but they play up because he has good baseball instincts.
The Royals haven't been shy about spending money on international free agents, having landed Dominican outfielder Elier Hernandez for $3.05MM earlier this month.