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AL Central Notes: Sox, Morneau, Willingham, Twins

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The latest out of the American League Central…

  • Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com spoke with a league source who confirmed Jon Heyman's report from earlier this week that the White Sox are open for business, with the exception of Chris Sale and Paul Konerko. Hayes' source said that in the event the Sox were to make Sale available, he'd fetch an even larger haul than the Padres received for Mat Latos.
  • The Twins have begun to receive phone calls on Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Morneau is a free agent at season's end, while Willingham is owed $7MM in 2014.
  • The Twins will not be in attendance for Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez's showcase in Tijuana tonight, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). The Twins have seen Gonzalez "a ton" already, he adds, noting that his price tag makes him a long shot for Minnesota.
  • Indians minor league right-hander Dillon Howard has been suspended 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Howard was the Tribe's second-round selection in 2011 and ranked as the team's No. 25 prospect prior to the season, according to Baseball America.

AL Central Notes: Peavy, Perkins, McDonald, Indians

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We learned earlier today that the White Sox are reportedly "open for business" and willing to trade anyone besides Chris Sale and their long-time franchise cornerstone Paul Konerko. Here's more on the Sox as well as the rest of the American League Central…

  • Jake Peavy knows that he could become a trade chip for the White Sox if he comes back healthy after the All-Star break, but he told Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago that he hopes that doesn't happen. Peavy voiced a desire to remain in Chicago but noted that he and his teammates control their own fate. If the team doesn't put together a significant winning streak quickly, Peavy acknowledges that GM Rick Hahn could very well trade him.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that if the Twins were to make closer Glen Perkins available this July, a major bidding war would break out. Olney told 1500 ESPN that he's spoken to several people who think Perkins would be the "No. 1 guy on the market" (Twitter link). Perkins is in the first year of a three-year, $10.3MM contract that contains a $4.5MM club option.
  • Indians general manager Chris Antonetti spoke with Olney as a guest on today's Baseball Tonight Podcast (Antonetti joins around the 30-minute mark) and spoke at length about the trade deadline. Antonetti said he likes this time of year and considers it exciting, as it gives he and his fellow GMs a chance to shape their organizations. Antonetti side-stepped a question about what the Tribe would be looking for in July, saying their focus for the time being is getting healthy.
  • Antonetti also discussed the difficult situation of designating John McDonald for assignment. He told Olney that the team was up front that a DFA was a very possible outcome when Asdrubal Cabrera returned from the DL, but it was still tough due to the great respect they have for McDonald.
  • Antonetti added that relationships with other GMs are a huge factor in trade negotiations, and discussed how he stays connected with other general managers to maintain strong relationships. The entire interview gives a nice look into the mindset of a GM at this time of year and is worth listening to.

Draft Signings: Jones, Eades, Overton

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Today's notable draft signings…

  • The Pirates signed third round pick JaCoby Jones for $612K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  That's exactly slot for the Boras Corporation advisee.  A speedy second baseman out of Louisiana State, BA ranked Jones as the 75th best draft prospect and noted that he's said to prefer the outfield.
  • The Twins signed second round draft pick Ryan Eades, tweets director of baseball communications and player relations Dustin Morse.  Eades received the slotted amount of $1,294,100, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  Eades, a righty out of Louisiana State, ranked 37th on the Baseball America 500.  He's advised by the Boras Corporation.  The Twins have two unsigned picks from the first ten rounds: Indiana righty Aaron Slegers from the fifth round, and his teammate Dustin DeMuth from the eighth.
  • The Athletics agreed to terms with second-round draft pick Dillon Overton yesterday, reported the Associated Press.  The Oklahoma lefty, chosen 63rd overall, signed for $400K according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  That's well under the slot value of $885,600 for the Jonathan Gray teammate, which makes sense given the report from Yahoo's Jeff Passan that Overton will have Tommy John surgery within the next two weeks.  Overton is advised by The Legacy Agency.  With the signing, the A's have inked their top 13 picks according to BA.  They had a bonus pool of $6,036,800 for the top ten, and spent 93% of it at $5,619,100.  Savings on Overton and going cheap on their ninth and tenth-round picks enabled the A's to go over slot on fifth rounder Bobby Wahl and seventh rounder Dustin Driver.
  • Seven first-round draft picks remain unsigned in advance of the July 12th deadline: Kris Bryant of the Cubs, Colin Moran of the Marlins, Austin Meadows of the Pirates, Phil Bickford of the Blue Jays, Hunter Renfroe of the Padres, Ryne Stanek of the Rays, and Aaron Judge of the Yankees.  The Marlins hope to have a deal worked out with Moran "sooner rather than later," a source with knowledge of the negotiations tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

The initial version of this post said that JaCoby Jones signed for under slot; our apologies for the error.

AL Central Notes: Buxton, Twins, Indians

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Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus released his midseason Top 50 Prospects list (subscription required), and the Twins' Byron Buxton ranked No. 1 overall. Buxton was drafted second overall last season and opened the 2013 season at Class A Cedar Rapids where he .341/.431/.559 with eight homers and 32 steals in 68 games. Here's more on the Twins and the rest of the AL Central…

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Nolasco, Angels, Twins, Norris

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Peter Gammons reported earlier today that there was buzz amongst the league's general managers that Ricky Nolasco would end up with the Giants before the trade deadline.  This sentiment is shared even by another general manager who is himself interested in Nolasco; this mystery GM tells USA Today's Bob Nightengale that he expects Brian Sabean to outbid the field in the race for the Marlins righty.

Here are some more items from around the majors…

  • The Angels might make pending free agents Jason Vargas or Scott Downs available at the trade deadline if they decide to sell, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez opines, though there won't be any major moves.  "I'm told nothing will cause them to blow up the roster and start all over again," Gonzalez writes, since the front office still believes the club can be contenders in 2014 and beyond and the Josh Hamilton/Albert Pujols contracts make it difficult to truly rebuild.
  • The Angels have nothing to show for their efforts in acquiring big-name pitchers (Scott Kazmir, Dan Haren and Zack Greinke) at the trade deadline in three of the last four seasons, MLB.com's Lyle Spencer writes.  Making matters worse for the Halos is that they dealt several top prospects in those trades, giving away such notable talents as Jean Segura, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs and Alex Torres.
  • The Twins have exceeded expectations this year but "it's hard to see a scenario in which they'll be buyers" at the trade deadline, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger writes as part of a reader mailbag.  A hot streak over the next month could change plans, though with the Tigers unlikely to be caught atop the AL Central, Bollinger suspects the Twins will stick with their rebuilding plan.
  • Bud Norris noted that he hasn't discussed a long-term deal with the Astros and he wouldn't be surprised if he is traded, the right-hander tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  "If the trade deadline is here and I'm still in an Astros uniform, I'll be happy with that," Norris said.  "I understand something could happen, but at the end of the day, my focus right now is still in Houston, and that's where it's going to stay."  The Pirates, Orioles and Giants have all reportedly considered acquiring Norris and more suitors are likely to follow.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was non-committal about whether or not the Phils would call up Carlos Zambrano before his July 1 opt-out date.  Amaro told reporters (including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that Zambrano has "been inconsistent" in the minors and that he doesn't see the righty as a relief pitcher.

Minor Moves: Vasquez, Alvarado, Upperman, Moskos

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Here's today's rundown of minor moves from around the league…

Twins Promote Kyle Gibson

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The Twins have announced, via Twitter, they will promote top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson on Tuesday and he will make his MLB debut Saturday. The Twins have optioned left-hander Pedro Hernandez to clear a 25-man roster spot for Gibson.

Gibson, the 22nd overall selection in the 2009 draft, was ranked as the 41st-best prospect in the game by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required), 45th by MLB.com, and 68th by Baseball America. Gibson underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011 and didn't pitch again until the fall of 2012; but, Law writes "he is back to 92-94 with his four-seamer, and he works down in the zone to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. His best pitch is a hard slider that he uses to wipe out right-handed hitters but also used in changeup counts against lefties." Baseball America lauds Gibson's changeup as a plus pitch with sink while MLB.com says Gibson's slider "gives him a third above-average offering." The 25-year-old has been solid in Triple-A this year posting a 3.01 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 55% groundball rate in 92 2/3 innings covering 15 starts.

Gibson will accrue 97 days of service time, if he remains with the Twins for the rest of the season, and will most likely not be eligible for Super Two status based on the current projection. The Twins will control Gibson through the 2019 season.

Rosenthal On Nolasco, D’Backs, Rockies, Gallardo

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posted his latest edition of Full Count.  Here's a look at the highlights..

  • The Rockies and Marlins recently had talks about Ricky Nolasco, but money was an obstacle as he is still owed about $6MM on his deal.  The Diamondbacks are another possible destination for the Miami pitcher, and it makes sense that NL West clubs have interest given his success against the Giants and at AT&T Park throughout his career.  Nolasco is a native of Southern California, so if the Padres acquire him, he could be open to an extension before he hits the open market this winter.
  • The Orioles can forget about acquiring Yovani Gallardo as they are on his ten-team no-trade list and the Brewers would prefer to make a clean deal with no restrictions.  Meanwhile, the Brewers' pitchers are getting hot at the right time – Gallardo, Francisco Rodriguez, and John Axford have all looked strong as of late and could draw interest from contending clubs.
  • in the likely event that the Twins become sellers, their only untouchable veterans figure to be Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins.  Trading the remainder of Justin Morneau's $14MM salary would be helpful, but his lack of power hurts his value.  

Cafardo On Morneau, Perez, Cishek, Bard, Papelbon

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NIck Cafardo of the Boston Globe asked 30 people from around baseball who they would build their team around, regardless of age or experience.  The leading vote-getter was Yadier Molina, with Buster Posey in second place.  Here's more from today's column..

  • There's a lot of uncertainty in the Twins' organization surrounding Justin Morneau.  People wonder what happened to his power, which hurts his trade value.  The Twins are a very loyal organization so they certainly won't give him away.  If a deal for a prospect comes up, however, they would likely let him go.
  • When closer Chris Perez is back in action he may be a piece the Indians would look to move.  Despite his troubles, he would draw interest considering the shortage of available closers out there. “If a team can get him and he’s amped up because of a change of scenery, that’s all they’re looking for,” said one special assistant to an American League GM. “It’s all about getting bang for your buck during those two months-plus after you acquire him, if you don’t have to give up a lot of inventory to get him.”
  • Speaking of closers, the Marlins' Steve Cishek is garnering attention and the Red Sox seem to have interest.  However, clubs will have to consider whether he can handle the adjustment of going to a bigger market like Boston or Detroit.
  • One National League GM believes that the Red Sox will have to give up on Daniel Bard at some point if things don't turn around.  Because of his natural talent, a lot of teams would line up to trade for him in hopes that a change of scenery would turn him around.
  • The Phillies declared last week that Jonathan Papelbon was not available, but Cafardo cautions not to believe it, especially in the wake of his public criticism of teammates.
  • Nationals right-hander Drew Storen is an interesting alternative for a team looking for a closer. Storen was the Nationals’ closer two years ago but hasn't been as sharp in 2013 as he was in years past.
  • Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco could be the first pitcher dealt as we near the deadline, even ahead of Bud Norris.  Cafardo says not to be shocked if teams like the Orioles or Giants make a move on him sooner rather than later.
  • One scout who saw Manny Ramirez in Taiwan said, “He can still hit with the best of them.”  That doesn't mean that a team will be bold enough to sign him, however.

International Notes: Gonzalez, Despaigne, Jimenez

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Japanese baseball is facing a growing scandal over livelier baseballs being used this year, explains Ken Belson of the New York Times. NPB Commissioner Ryozo Kato is under fire after first denying any change to what had been a pitcher-friendly baseball in 2011 and 2012.  Here's the rest of tonight's notes from around the world..

  • The Twins are another team that have interest in Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Gonzalez was recently declared a free agent, and the Twins have seen the 26-year-old pitch three times in the last month according to Wolfson. 
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America has the story on Cuban slugger Alfredo Despaigne, who is currently plaing in Mexico (Subscription Required).  The Cuban government allowed a special arrangement in which Despaigne can play for the Campeche Pirates of the Mexican League for the summer.  Scouts will likely take advantage of this rare opportunity to see the former home run champion in action, notes Badler. 
  • Eloy Jimenez is adjusting to life as a top prospect in baseball's altered international signing period, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  The Dominican native took the No.1 spot on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects for this July 2 signing class. 
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