National League Over Slot Signings
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.
Brewers Sign Taylor Jungmann
The Brewers have signed first round pick Taylor Jungmann, according to a team press release. Hendricks Sports represents the right-hander, who was the 12th overall selection in the June draft. Jungmann was one of three Golden Spikes award finalists for Texas this year.
You can keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.
Brewers Sign Jed Bradley
The Brewers have signed first round pick Jed Bradley for $2MM, according to Zoodig (on Twitter). Legacy Sports Group represents the left-hander, who was the 15th overall selection in the June draft.
You can keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.
Central Notes: Leyland, Big Z, Brewers, Lindor
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: Rhodes, Yankees, Villalona, Athletics
The A's announced that they have hired former MLB player and manager Phil Garner as a special advisor. The 62-year-old played for 16 seasons and managed for another 15. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Arthur Rhodes told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies all had interest in signing with him before he joined the Cardinals (Twitter link). The Phillies wanted the veteran lefty to pitch in the minors before adding him to the big league roster.
- "What you see is what you’re gonna get," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Dan Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). Cashman doesn't expect to make any waiver trades this month.
- The Associated Press (via ESPN Deportes) reports that former Giants prospect Angel Villalona is suing the team for $5MM, citing unlawful termination of his contract. Villalona, once ranked as the 33rd best prospect in the game by Baseball America, has not played since 2009 after being charged with murder in the Dominican Republic.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that MLB needs a salary floor (a minimum payroll) because certain teams aren't going to spend any more than they have to. However, the players' union has traditionally opposed salary caps and floors.
- Ian Kennedy told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he would listen if the D’Backs approached him about a long-term deal.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he didn't know Ron Roenicke before interviewing him for Milwaukee's managerial opening last fall. The new skipper has the Brewers in first place, four games ahead of the Cardinals.
- Joey Votto told Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer that superstars can be overrated in MLB, since they don't impact the game the way great players do in other sports. I highly recommend Daugherty's piece, in which Votto shows a strong understanding of the business of baseball.
- Tampa Bay, Arizona, Oakland, Miami and Washington are the five worst markets in MLB for Newsday's Ken Davidoff.
Poll: The Brewers’ Best Trade
The White Sox told their fans they were going “all in” this year, but that slogan might have worked better a bit further north. Brewers GM Doug Melvin has traded prospect after prospect since last season in an attempt to reinforce his club for a run at the playoffs.
The Brewers gave up a lot, but their plan is working so far. Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum have provided upgrades in the rotation, Nyjer Morgan is hitting like never before and the most recent addition, Francisco Rodriguez, has provided manager Ron Roenicke’s bullpen with a boost.
The Brewers lead the NL Central with a 66-50 record. Which of their recent trades was the best one?
What was the Brewers' best trade?
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Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi 34% (3,629)
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Nyjer Morgan for Cutter Dykstra and cash 32% (3,348)
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Shaun Marcum for Brett Lawrie 19% (2,057)
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Francisco Rodriguez and cash for two PTBNL 14% (1,428)
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Other 1% (115)
Total votes: 10,577
Draft Links: Dodgers, Springer, Boras, Fisher
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.
Brewers Agree To Terms With Two Draft Picks
MONDAY: Lopez's bonus is worth $690K, well above the $522K slot recommendation and the largest bonus of any player outside the top 65 picks, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.
FRIDAY: The Brewers have reached preliminary agreements with second rounder Jorge Lopez and fifth rounder Michael Reed, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The contracts are pending physicals, and formal announcements are expected in the coming days.
Lopez, a high school right-hander from Puerto Rico, was the 70th overall selection in June, which carries a slot recommendation of $522K. Baseball America (subs. req'd) says he's "lanky, long and loose, with a fastball that sits 89-91 mph and touches 93 regularly." They also note his above-average curveball.
Reed, a high school outfielder from Texas, received a $500K bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter links). MLB's slot recommendation for the 161st overall pick is approximately $155K. Baseball America says he "profiles nicely as a right fielder who swings the bat with authority from the right side of the plate and backs up his raw power with plus speed and arm strength."
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.
Brett Carroll Elects Free Agency
Brett Carroll refused an outright assignment to Triple-A and is now a free agent, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The Brewers designated Carroll for assignment on Saturday to create roster space for Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Brewers acquired Carroll from the Royals in March and made him their Triple-A center fielder. He hit .281/.356/.469 in 381 plate appearances in Nashville then appeared in two games for Milwaukee.