Reds Sign Tyler Stephenson
The Reds have announced that they’ve signed catcher and 11th overall draft pick Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson has been assigned to short-season Billings. MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Stephenson will receive the allotted value of the pick, which is $3,141,600. Stephenson, from Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia, had been committed to Georgia Tech.
MLB.com notes that Stephenson appears capable defensively, with soft hands, a strong arm and good agility given his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). He also has good power, although his ability to make contact is a concern. Baseball America (subscription required) ranked Stephenson the 15th-best prospect in the draft, noting that his defensive ability would buy him time to work through any offensive issues that might arise. Stephenson is the third catcher the Reds have selected with a first-round pick in the past decade, joining Devin Mesoraco (2007) and the since-traded Yasmani Grandal (2010).
Jorge Alfaro Could Miss Rest Of Year
Top Rangers catching prospect Jorge Alfaro has suffered an ankle injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. Alfaro is currently wearing a walking boot, and the Rangers are considering surgery as an option.
MLB.com currently ranks Alfaro the Rangers’ second-best prospect (behind Joey Gallo) and the 38th best prospect in baseball. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Alfaro the No. 35 prospect in baseball heading into the season, while Baseball America ranked Alfaro No. 67. Alfaro, who turned 22 yesterday, has hit .253/.314/.432 for Double-A Frisco this year. He has outstanding tools, including terrific power and a huge arm, although Law notes that he has at times struggled to control them. Alfaro might therefore need the minor league development time he’ll lose as a result of the injury more than many prospects of his caliber would.
Early in the season, Alfaro’s name came up as a possibility in trade rumors involving Cole Hamels, as the Phillies reportedly coveted Alfaro. Other reports at the time, however, indicated that the Rangers preferred not to trade him.
Rangers Sign Dillon Tate
The Rangers have officially announced the signing of fourth overall pick Dillon Tate, along with the signings of righty Jake Lemoine (fourth round), shortstop Dylan Moore (seventh), righty Blake Bass (eighth), righty Peter Fairbanks (ninth), shortstop Leon Byrd (tenth), and centerfielder Ledarious Clark (12th). All have been assigned to short-season Spokane except Lemoine, who will head to the Arizona Summer League.
Tate will receive a bonus of $4.2MM, as Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets. The pool value of the pick was $5,026,500, so Tate’s signing will save the Rangers over $800K that they can use on later picks, perhaps including third-round pick Michael Matuella, who could command a bonus above his recommended $777,600 allotment. Lemoine, meanwhile, will receive $528K, which is the exact bonus allotment for his pick.
Tate, a 21-year-old junior righty from UC-Santa Barbara, earns high marks for his fastball (which can reach up to 98 MPH) and high-80s slider. MLB.com notes that his curveball isn’t as strong and that his delivery involves a bit of effort, but that Tate seems to have answered questions about whether he’s capable of starting. If in fact he doesn’t work out in that role, his arsenal would seem well suited to bullpen work — Tate excelled as a closer in college before transitioning to the rotation.
Baseball America (subscription-only), meanwhile, ranked Tate the No. 3 prospect in the draft, behind only Brendan Rodgers and Dansby Swanson. BA noted that, as a result of switching from relieving to starting, Tate greatly increased his innings total this year. That might mean the Rangers could be cautious with him as he enters his first pro season. Tate has pitched 103 1/3 innings so far in 2015, with a 2.26 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
Nats, Reds Have Discussed Aroldis Chapman Trade
The Nationals and Reds have discussed a trade involving Aroldis Chapman, although no deal appears imminent, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. (In a separate tweet, Morosi characterizes the talks as “very preliminary.”) Earlier today, Morosi wrote that the Nationals were looking for late-inning bullpen help. Chapman would obviously fit the bill, even though the Nats don’t have any specific need for a closer in particular, with Drew Storen performing well.
The 27-year-old Chapman has struggled with his control a bit more this year than in years past, with 5.6 BB/9. As usual, though, his eye-popping stuff and strikeout numbers (14.8 K/9) have been more than enough to paper over any minor control issues. Chapman’s fastball remains otherworldly, clocking in at an average velocity of 99.5 MPH this year, and his slider is very much a plus pitch as well.
Chapman is making $8.05MM this season. He is eligible for free agency after 2016. Given his dominance, he represents a bargain at his current salary. The prospect cost the Reds could command for him ought to be substantial, particularly given that he has a year of control remaining beyond this one.
Angels Sign First-Rounder Taylor Ward
7:22pm: The Angels have officially announced the signing.
6:54pm: Ward’s bonus is $1.67MM, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. That will give the Angels a savings of $364K against their pool that they can use to sign other picks.
3:56pm: The Angels have agreed to terms with first-round pick Taylor Ward, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. Ward, a 21-year-old junior catcher from Fresno State, was the 26th overall pick of the draft. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the pool value of the pick is $2,034,500.
MLB.com calls Ward “primarily a catch-and-throw guy,” noting that his arm and overall defensive potential should make him at least an MLB backup but that his hitting isn’t as strong. Baseball America (subscription-only) offers similar praise for Ward’s excellent arm but notes that his offense is a concern despite a bit of power, pointing out that he “lacks a natural feel for hitting.”
Dodgers Acquire Ronald Torreyes, Designate Barney
The Dodgers have acquired infielder Ronald Torreyes from the Blue Jays for cash considerations, the teams have announced. To clear space on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers have designated Darwin Barney for assignment and optioned Torreyes to Double-A Tulsa.
The Blue Jays acquired Torreyes from the Astros last month. The 22-year-old has hit a disappointing .175/.208/.200 in the high minors this season, but he held his own at Triple-A Oklahoma City (then an Astros affiliate) as a 21-year-old last season, batting .298/.345/.376. He can also play a variety of infield and outfield positions, which might make him a useful bench player someday.
The 29-year-old Barney spent several seasons as a starting shortstop and second baseman for the Cubs, but Chicago traded him to the Dodgers in the middle of Barney’s disappointing 2014 season. He then wound up in the minors, and this year, he’s hit poorly for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a .214/.273/.259 line in 121 plate appearances.
Athletics Sign Dayan Viciedo
3:35pm: Viciedo has signed a minor-league deal and will head to Triple-A Nashville, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
2:46pm: The Athletics have signed former White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. It’s currently unclear whether the deal is of the Major-League or minor-league variety, and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported earlier today that Viciedo had many minor-league offers in hand but was hoping for a big-league deal.
The White Sox released Viciedo in February after a disappointing 2014 season in which he hit 21 homers but posted a .281 OBP and struggled defensively. He then caught on with the Blue Jays, but he requested his release at the end of Spring Training and has not played since. Viciedo has obvious deficiencies as a player, but he’s only 26, and as Eddy points out, he’s a career .291/.331/.507 hitter against lefties. He could perhaps be useful as a bench bat.
Cubs Sign Rafael Soriano
FRIDAY: Soriano’s deal does, in fact, include an opt-out clause that allows him to become a free agent if he’s not in the Majors by the All-Star Game in mid-July, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes.
TUESDAY: The Cubs have signed veteran reliever Rafael Soriano to a minor league deal, adding another option to the team’s late-inning mix. He’ll earn the pro-rated portion of a $4.1MM base salary and can add up to $4MM in incentives (based upon games finished and appearances).
It rates as a surprise that Soriano signed a minors pact, of course. After all, he landed at 37th on the top-fifty free agent list of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, who explained that Soriano was still a plenty capable reliever last year. Now, he becomes the final name on that list to sign.
On the other hand, as I wrote back in October, the righty faced plenty of competition in his segment of the market. And while technically a minor-league arrangement, his new pact comes with expectations of a relatively quick call-up as well as a significant salary upon his addition to the MLB roster. Early and frequent opt-out clauses would also seem likely, though they remain unreported.
Soriano’s new deal comes not long after he changed representation. Still on the market with two months of the season in the books, Soriano switched from the Boras Corporation to Octagon Baseball. He indicated then that he hoped to sign in fairly short order, and he had been set to hold a showcase later this week.
Of course, it remains to be seen what Soriano has left in the tank. He faded down the stretch last year after a nice start, ending up with a 3.19 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 62 innings. All said, Soriano has produced solid (but not spectacular) results over the last two years despite a loss of fastball velocity.
Looking further back, the former All-Star has been fairly consistent in terms of his end-of-year production, if not his game-to-game results. Going back to the 2006 campaign, Soriano has thrown at least 60 frames seven times and only once ended a year with an earned run average higher than last year’s final mark. While his save tallies may have boosted his prominence beyond his true talent, Soriano has been one of the more reliably useful pen arms in the game for some time.
Chicago currently sits at 20th in the league in terms of reliever ERA, and its late-inning options (such as Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, and Jason Motte) have been short of dominant. With Neil Ramirez still working back from injury, it is easy to see the need for another quality arm.
By adding Soriano now, the Cubs will gain some time to assess their pen in advance of the trade deadline. It remains possible that the club will be in the market for higher-end relief talent, though the return of Ramirez will hopefully deliver additional punch from the right side.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that a deal was close. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweeted that the deal was done. James Wagner of the Washington Post tweeted the contract details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Zack Cozart To Miss Rest Of Season Following Knee Surgery
Reds shortstop Zack Cozart suffered torn ligaments and a torn biceps tendon in his right knee and will undergo surgery to repair the tendon on Monday, the team announced (Twitter link). C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that Cozart tore both the ACL and LCL in his knee. The recovery time is an estimated nine months, meaning Cozart will be out for the remainder of the year.
Cozart, 29, injured the knee when stretching in an attempt to beat out an infield single. His right leg slipped off the back of the base, causing him to fall to the ground and immediately clutch his knee in obvious pain (video link, though some may prefer not to watch).
The injury will bring to an end what has been, to date, the finest season of Cozart’s career. The former second-round pick has long been regarded as one of the game’s better defenders at shortstop, but his offensive output slipped in 2012, 2013 and 2014 after a solid rookie campaign. That changed in 2015, as Cozart has batted an very solid .258/.310/.459 with nine homers through just 214 plate appearances. Though his season will come to an end, Cozart figures to remain a part of the Reds’ future plans. He’s controllable through the 2017 season via arbitration, though obviously the injury will hamper his arbitration earnings this winter. Nonetheless, with a reasonable $2.35MM base salary in 2015, the Reds certainly figure to tender him a contract for the 2016 season.
Cozart’s unfortunate situation creates a window of opportunity for Triple-A shortstop Eugenio Suarez, who has been recalled from Triple-A. Acquired from the Tigers along with hard-throwing righty Jonathon Crawford in exchange for Alfredo Simon this offseason, the 23-year-old has a strong track record at the Triple-A level, where he has authored a .264/.358/.455 batting line with 10 homers in 69 games. Suarez saw a good bit of action in the Major Leagues in 2014 with Jose Iglesias sidelined, and he held his own for a 22-year-old, hitting .242/.316/.336. He’ll likely step in as the everyday shortstop in Cozart’s stead.
Losing Cozart for the year is another blow for a Reds team that has seen Marlon Byrd suffer a fractured wrist and Devin Mesoraco miss nearly the entire season thus far due to a hip impingement. Homer Bailey, too, will miss nearly the entire year due to Tommy John surgery. Many expect Cincinnati to become trade deadline sellers, and the loss of an elite defensive shortstop that has been one of the club’s best hitters as well certainly doesn’t improve their odds of remaining in contention.
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