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Brewers Notes: Fielder, Lopez, Arnett

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As the Brewers do battle with the Mets at Citi Field this afternoon, here's the latest news out of Milwaukee…

  • Prince Fielder's suitors this winter could include the Brewers, Nationals, Cubs or, as a "possible sleeper," the Rangers, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links).  Both of the Los Angeles teams aren't likely to get involved — the Dodgers because they likely won't have new owners in time and the Angels possibly due to their lack of a strong relationship with Fielder's agent Scott Boras.  
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy looks at how the Brewers may have to make a 40-man roster move between games of their double-header with the Pirates on Monday.  Manager Ron Roenicke said top prospect Wily Peralta won't be called up, while McCalvy speculates that right-hander Michael Fiers will instead get the call.
  • As to who could be removed from the 40-man roster with Chris Narveson returning from the disabled list, both McCalvy and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) think Felipe Lopez could be the odd man out.  Lopez, acquired last month to help fill in for the injured Rickie Weeks, has hit just 186/.250/.186 in 50 plate appearances with Milwaukee.
  • Right-hander Eric Arnett is struggling in Class A ball, but the Brewers are still confident in the 2009 first-round draft pick, reports McCalvy.  "You have to remember that Eric was a late bloomer at Indiana. It took him until his third year to kind of put it together," says Milwaukee amateur scouting director Bruce Seid.  "I think Eric got into our organization, and, as we've talked about many times before, he put a lot of pressure on himself. He got off to a slow start, and it kind of tailspinned for him."  Arnett has a 5.31 ERA in 11 combined starts at Class A and rookie ball this season.

NL West Notes: D’Backs, Padres, Uribe

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The Diamondbacks and Padres were two of the ten teams that cracked $10MM on draft bonus spending this year, according to Baseball America. Here's the latest on those two clubs and their NL West rivals…

  • It's wouldn't be surprising to see the D'Backs look into the possibility of acquiring a shortstop this month, despite Willie Bloomquist's solid play in place of the injured Stephen Drew. But Edgar Renteria? One D'Backs source tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the Reds "won't move him" (Twitter link).
  • Corey Brock of MLB.com tells the story of Drew Cumberland, the 46th overall draft pick in 2007, who had to retire because of a medical condition that disrupts balance in the inner ears. Hearing the news was understandably tough for the 22-year-old former Padres prospect. "Baseball … it's my passion. It's what I love," he told Brock.
  • Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness responds to Tim Dierkes’ recent suggestion that the Dodgers could trade Juan Uribe for Carlos Zambrano. The Dodgers don’t have sure things on the infield going forward, so they may prefer to hold onto Uribe to ensure that they have at least one regular they can count on heading in to 2012.

National League Over Slot Signings

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Though MLB would prefer to keep a lid on it, many signings exceeding their slot recommendations will be revealed by reporters today.  The latest from the National League:

  • The Mets signed 11th rounder Christian Montgomery for $250K, according to Callis. They also signed third rounder Logan Verrett for $425K, according to Callis (Twitter links). Earlier today, the Mets signed high school shortstop Brad Marquez for $325K, reports Callis.  Since Marquez also plays football, his bonus will be spread over three years.  The Mets also signed 15th round pick and high school middle infielder Philip Evans for $650K, reports Callis.
  • Reds 22nd rounder Amir Garrett obtained a $1MM two sport deal that will be spread over five years, Callis tweets.
  • The Giants signed second rounder Andrew Susac for $1.1MM according to Zoodig, an athlete digital media platform, on Twitter. They also signed sixth rounder Josh Osich for $450K, according to Callis on Twitter.
  • The Phillies signed fifth rounder Mitch Walding for $800K, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law (on Twitter). The Phillies have also signed second rounder Roman Quinn for $775K, reports Baseball America's Conor Glassey (Twitter links). Callis says the high school outfielder was the fastest legitimate prospect in the draft.
  • The Cubs signed 11th rounder Shawon Dunston Jr. to a $1.275MM deal, according to Rogers (on Twitter). The Cubs also agreed to sign second rounder Dan Vogelbach for around $1.6MM, according to Rogers (Twitter links). The Florida high schooler has lots of power from the left side, according to Callis.
  • The Nationals signed fourth round left-hander Kylin Turnbull for $325K, according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Reds signed 23rd rounder Sal Romano for $450K, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter). The Reds also signed 43rd rounder Ty Washington, according to Rogers (on Twitter). Callis reports that the second baseman obtains a $300K bonus (Twitter link).
  • The Pirates signed ninth rounder Clay Holmes, who was asking for a $1.2MM bonus, according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Cardinals signed second rounder Charlie Tilson for $1.275MM, according to Callis (Twitter link). The high schooler is a speedy leadoff type who plays center field.
  • The Dodgers signed fourth rounder Ryan O'Sullivan for $100K, according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Brewers signed 18th rounder Chris McFarland for $315K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The high school infielder has solid tools across the board.
  • The Cubs signed hard-throwing college reliever Tony Zych, a fourth rounder, for $400K, tweets Callis.  The Cubs also signed 25th round pick Rock Shoulders for $294K, tweets Callis.  The first baseman came out of a Florida junior college.
  • The Diamondbacks signed fifth round pick Michael Perez for $235K, tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis.  Perez is a high school catcher out of Puerto Rico.

NL West Notes: Bloomquist, Romero, Blake

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The tightest division race in the National League is happening out west, where the Diamondbacks have taken a two-game lead over the Giants on the strength of five straight wins. ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) likens Arizona to a No. 14 seed in an NCAA tournament, holding a lead late in the game and gaining confidence that they can pull off an upset. Here are this morning's notes from around the NL West:

  • The D'Backs didn't go out and acquire a replacement for Stephen Drew when he fractured his ankle, and Willie Bloomquist is making the decision look good, writes Olney. Since Drew's injury, Bloomquist is hitting .295/.349/.423 as the team's regular shortstop.
  • J.C. Romero tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that his friend LaTroy Hawkins had good things to say about the Rockies' organization, which pushed the lefty toward Colorado. Romero will throw a bullpen and take a physical today, and could be added to the Rockies' roster if both go well.
  • Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wonders what's next for the Dodgers' Casey Blake, who is "not the least interested in calling it a career" and "has no desire in going out on some injury-riddled, less-than-fulfilling season," according to Dilbeck.
  • The Athletics have called up two former members of NL West clubs, both of whom were involved in trades earlier this season, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Brandon Allen, formerly of the Diamondbacks, and Bruce Billings, acquired from the Rockies in the Mark Ellis deal, will join the A's for today's game.

NL West Notes: Romero, Dodgers, Giants, Padres

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Here's the latest from the NL West…

  • Lefty reliever J.C. Romero is with the Rockies today according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter), but he has not signed. Troy Renck of The Denver Post says (on Twitter) that Romero will see a doctor and throw a bullpen tomorrow, and if all goes well, he could be added to the roster as soon as Monday. The Yankees released Romero earlier this week.
  • Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers are currently on pace to lose more than $42MM in annual revenue since 2009, their last playoff appearance. Shaikin also has a breakdown of some payments the team made in recent years, including more than $5K for Red Sox tickets.
  • A source told Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle that the Astros asked the Giants for one of their untouchable prospects "plus plus" in exchange for Hunter Pence before the trade deadline (Twitter link).
  • Tyler Kepner of The New York Times wrote about the Padres and their knack for finding relievers in uncommon places, including Josh Spence. The left-hander from Australia has a 1.61 ERA in 22 1/3 innings since being called up, and lefties have hit just .140/.159/.279 off him.
  • Despite a 38-56 record in their lasts 94 games, SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) that the job of Rockies manager Jim Tracy is not in jeopardy.

Dodgers Sign First Rounder Chris Reed

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1:42pm: Reed obtains a $1.589MM bonus, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). That appears to be slightly over slot.

1:28pm: Dodgers assistant GM Logan White officially announced the signing.

7:23am: The Dodgers have agreed to terms with 16th overall pick Chris Reed, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Terms of the deal are not known for Reed, a Scott Boras client. The commissioner's office recommended a bonus of $1.512MM for the 16th overall selection last year, according to Baseball America.

The 6'5" left-hander posted a 1.80 ERA in 45 innings of relief as a junior at Stanford last year. However, the Dodgers see him as a starter in the Major Leagues, Cassavell reports. Be sure to track every top pick's status with MLBTR's list.

Quick Hits: Leyland, Phillies, Trumbo, Taylor

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Some notes from around the majors as Casey Kotchman is a walkoff hero for Tampa Bay….

Draft Links: Dodgers, Springer, Boras, Fisher

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We're a week away from the August 15 deadline for MLB teams to sign their 2011 draft picks.  Here's the latest on a few signings, a few players still in negotiations and a few players who are going to college…

  • The Dodgers have agreed to terms with sixth-rounder Scott Barlow and 10th-rounder Tyler Ogle, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.  (Twitter links)  Barlow, a right-hander who had committed to Fresno State, will earn a $150K bonus.  Ogle, a product of the University of Oklahoma, received a $100K bonus.
  • George Springer is expected to sign the Astros, tweets Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner.  Goff said he would be surprised if the Astros didn't ink their first-round pick, selected 11th overall.
  • Right-hander Jack Armstrong, Houston's third-round selection, talks to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about his elbow problems and how he isn't worried about the signing deadline.  The piece also notes that Springer passed his physical with the team last week.  Springer and Armstrong are the only two unsigned players among the Astros' first 13 draft picks. 
  • "The Royals will be offering the biggest bonus in franchise history" to Bubba Starling, writes Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, and while "most observers expect a contract to be signed…there is just enough in [agent Scott] Boras’ history and confidence to make everyone unsure."  Mellinger also briefly details Boras' background and his dealings with the Royals over the last several years.
  • Rangers officials tell MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that they don't expect sixth-round pick Derek Fisher to sign a contract.  Fisher, the Pennsylvania high school player of the year, has a commitment to the University of Virginia and "his asking price exceeds what the Rangers are willing to pay."
  • The Brewers officially announced the signing of second-rounder Jorge Lopez, reports MLB.com's Audrey Snyder.  We heard last week that Milwaukee had agreed to terms with Lopez and fifth-rounder Michael Reed, though no final word has yet come on Reed's deal.
  • The Phillies have signed seventh-round pick Kenny Giles to a contract with a $250K bonus, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter link).  Giles, a high-schooler who had committed to the University of Arizona, "has touched 99 mph with his fastball."
  • Marlins second-round pick Adam Conley and Diamondbacks seventh-rounder Ben Roberts will "definitely sign," reports Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA, while Yankees sixth-round selection Jake Cave is "about 95 percent" signed.  (Twitter links)
  • Rogers also tweets that Taylor Ard (a 25th-round pick for the Red Sox) and Derek Jones (the Orioles' 13th-rounder) will not sign.  Both players have committed to attend Washington State.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier has an update on the status of every Red Sox pick from the first 10 rounds of the draft, including both signed and unsigned players.

West Links: Maybin, Balfour, Dodgers

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As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes (on Twitter), only two teams have yet to score 400 runs this year: the Mariners and the Giants. Although the two west coast clubs share concerns about their offense, San Francisco is in first place while Seattle is in last. Here's the lasted from the two west divisions…

  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about Cameron Maybin, who is breaking out with the Padres after being acquired this past offseason. "This is the first time in two or three seasons where I've felt comfortable," said Maybin, who is hitting .278/.332/.405 overall but .328/.378/.508 away from Petco Park. "I'm not worried about the consequences of going out there and trying to get a hit every night. Even if I have a bad week or a bad month, I feel like these guys are still with me."
  • Grant Balfour signed with the Athletics over the winter because he felt like they would be a contender, writes Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. "I definitely signed here for that reason," said Balfour. "Looking at this team, I thought we'd be better in the standings than we are, and now we're in a tough spot. But we can't worry about it; we'll just take each day as it comes and see what happens at the end of it all."
  • Richard Sandomir of The New York Times explains how the terms of MLB's $150MM loan to the Dodgers eases the club's fear of being seized by the league. "The worst that can happen — in the narrow case of default — is they can stop funding," said Bruce Bennett, one of the team's lawyers. "It is not a secured loan, so baseball can't foreclose on anything." Sandomir also notes that Bennett has his doubts about MLB's ability to finance the loan.

2012 Vesting Options Update

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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.

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