Latest On Cuban Outfielder Alfredo Despaigne
JUNE 12: Despaigne has been hit with a lifetime ban by the Mexican League, reports Badler. The news will not, however, impact any future moves by Despaigne to establish himself as a major league free agent, as MLB informs Badler that it does not have an agreement to honor Mexican League suspensions.
MAY 20: Reports out of Cuba indicate that Despaigne has returned to his home island, says Badler. A final decision on his status in the Mexican League is still pending and is now expected to take some time. Should Despaigne be hit with a suspension, he may look to follow prominent countrymen Frederich Cepeda and Yulieski Gourriel to Japan, sources tell Badler.
MAY 15, 8:31pm: Despaigne has been temporarily suspended by the Mexican League, Badler reports. The decision as to his ultimate punishment is not yet known, as the league is waiting to hear back from the Dominican government regarding Despaigne’s passport.
The Mexican League is also investigating Despaigne’s team, the Campeche Pirates, to see if anyone from the club helped him in attaining a false passport. Any individuals who helped Despaigne in the acquisition of that document could potentially face a lifetime ban from the league, though Campeche issued a statement today stating that no one from the club was involved in the scandal.
A final ruling on Despaigne’s punishment could come on Monday, according to Badler.
11:29am: 27-year-old Cuban outfielder Alfredo Despaigne, long one of the island nation’s most intriguing talents, has played this year and last in the Mexican League under special permission from the Cuban government. Now, reports suggest that he could potentially be in position to attempt to establish himself as an MLB free agent.
As Ben Badler of Baseball America recently reported, Despaigne has been playing this year under a Dominican passport dated back to April of 2013 (before his debut with Campeche last year), raising interesting questions about his status and intentions. Despaigne appeared in the Mexican League on a Cuban passport in 2013. But during the Winter Meetings in December, MLB asked the affiliated league to require a passport from a third country before employing Cuban players, owing to concerns involving the United States’ embargo against Cuba. (As Badler notes, it seems somewhat dubious that residency in another country would be seen as relevant to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control when the player retains his Cuban citizenship, as appears to be the case for Despaigne.)
The situation has only become more confusing in recent days. At the time of Badler’s initial report on Tuesday, the Mexican League said it was not investigating the situation. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported thereafter (Spanish language link) that Dominican officials believe Despaigne has had three false Dominican passports that were not obtained through official channels. In an updated report, Rojas says that the Mexican League is now initiating an inquiry. “At this time we are opening an investigation to determine the legality of the passport Campeche submitted to register Despaigne,” said league president Plinio Escalante. “If we find an irregularity, he will have to stop playing immediately and the club will be sanctioned.”
As Badler writes today, how the Mexican League proceeds could greatly impact Despaigne’s future. A decision is expected by the end of the week, and Badler says there are two disciplinary scenarios. On the one hand, the league could suspend Despaigne for up to seven years, which would also bar him from playing in any MLB-affiliated league for the period of the ban.
On the other, the league could simply declare him ineligible. In that case, Despaigne would still be eligible to use the mechanisms generally available to Cuban ballplayers to effect a move to the majors (convoluted and unappealing though they may be). Despaigne could hypothetically attempt to defect to Mexico, renouncing his Cuban citizenship and asking to be declared a free agent by MLB. It remains far from clear, of course, that Despaigne intends (or even desires) to make such a move, let alone that it would be successful, but Badler notes that he may now have a path to the United States that does not involve a harrowing escape from his home nation.
If Despaigne were to navigate his way to free agency, he would make for a compelling target for many MLB clubs. Badler says that the 5’9, right-handed swinging corner outfielder has a highly aggressive approach and shows 80-grade power that compares favorably to that of White Sox sensation Jose Abreu. (Additional scouting information from Badler is available here and here.) Indeed, he has posted a combined .341/.381/.578 line with 13 home runs in just 227 Mexican League plate appearances. Despaigne has racked up 45 strike outs to go with just 11 walks in that stretch, though he also has notched five stolen bases.
Rangers Sign Luis Ortiz
WEDNESDAY: The Rangers announced that they have officially signed Ortiz. Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets that Ortiz’s bonus is $1.75MM, which is very slightly below the $1.76MM slot value.
MONDAY: The Rangers have reached agreement on an approximately $1.76MM bonus with first-round choice Luis Ortiz, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Ortiz is scheduled to finalize his deal and take a physical in the next two days.
That figure is the slot value for the 30th overall choice, where Ortiz was taken. Grant adds that the team has also reached agreement for an unreported sum with third-round pick Josh Morgan (who came with a $550.1K slot).
Ortiz, a high school righty out of California, came in as MLB.com’s 24th best draft-eligible prospect while landing at 28 on Baseball America’s list. But Keith Law of ESPN.com saw things rather differently, placing Ortiz at tenth in his final rating. Law explains that Ortiz had returned well from an early-season forearm strain and could be a nice get for a team (like Texas) at the back of the first round.
The best news for the Rangers is that they appear set to draw the high-upside righty away from Fresno State without borrowing against the team’s overall pool. Texas agreed to an over-slot deal earlier today with second choice (59th overall) Ti’quan Forbes and did the same recently with fourth-rounder Brett Martin. The Rangers’ total available pool, assuming it inks all its picks from the first ten rounds, is $4.82MM.
Yankees Acquire David Huff, Designate Wade LeBlanc For Assignment
6:11pm: The Yankees officially announced both moves, noting that the team sent cash considerations to the Giants in exchange for Huff.
5:52pm: The Yankees have acquired left-hander David Huff from the Giants and designated fellow lefty Wade LeBlanc for assignment in order to create roster space, according to Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal (on Twitter). Huff had been designated for assignment by the Giants last week. He will be with the Yankees for tonight’s game.
This will mark Huff’s second stint with New York, as he finished the 2013 campaign in Yankee pinstripes. Huff posted a 4.67 ERA with a 26-to-8 K/BB ratio in 34 1/3 innings for the Yanks last season and found himself traded to San Francisco in exchange for cash considerations in late January. With the Giants, Huff pitched to a disappointing 6.30 ERA with 11 strikeouts and six walks in 20 innings. He did manage a career-best 50.7 percent ground-ball rate in his 20 innings with San Fran, in part due to the introduction of a cut-fastball into his repertoire.
LeBlanc pitched just an inning for the Yankees, allowing two runs in his lone appearance. He’s allowed six runs in 7 1/3 innings this season between the Angels and Yankees, and he has a career 4.56 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 35.4 percent ground-ball rate in 424 1/3 innings between the Padres, Marlins, Angels, Yankees and Astros.
Cubs Sign First-Rounder Kyle Schwarber
1:38pm: The team has officially announced Schwarer’s signing.
11:20am: The Cubs have agreed to a below-slot bonus with first-round selection Kyle Schwarber, reports MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). He will sign for $3.125MM, which is nearly $1.5MM shy of the $4.621MM allotment that came with the fourth overall choice.
Arguably the best college bat available, Schwarber was nevertheless something of a surprise choice at fourth overall. While he is said to have good hit and power tools at the plate, the real question is whether or not the Indiana University product can stay behind it defensively. As MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo wrote in rating Schwarber as the 16th-best available prospect, he could ultimately move to the outfield (or, presumably, first base) since his throwing and receiving skills are considered below average.
Baseball America, ranking him 17th overall, noted that Schwarber had improved his work at catcher over time and likely has the athleticism needed to shift to left field if he can’t continue that trajectory. ESPN.com’s Keith Law, meanwhile, placed the 6’0, 240lb left-handed swinger at 26th on his final board.
As Callis notes (Twitter links), the deal with Schwarber works to the advantage of both parties. Schwarber will take down a bigger bonus than he would have if taken in the middle of the draft, while the Cubs can put the slot savings towards other choices. In particular, the club selected a series of high school arms with its fourth through sixth-round choices — Carson Sands, Justin Steele, and Dylan Cease — who could require above-slot bonuses to forego college. Callis opines that the Cubs are likely to land each member of that trio. Chicago entered the draft with $8.35MM and change in available slot space.
Rockies Agree To Below-Slot Bonus With Kyle Freeland
6:48pm: The bonus will land at $2.3MM, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). That means that Colorado will save about $890K to put towards other choices.
As Callis explains (Twitter links), Freeland ended up in a difficult bargaining position due to a high school medical report that contained speculation about possible elbow issues. In spite of that loss of leverage, Callis notes, Freeland still ended up with at least mid-first-round money.
6:19pm: The Rockies have reached agreement with first-rounder and eight overall choice Kyle Freeland, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com (via Twitter). He reportedly will take hom a bonus of approximately $2.5MM, significantly below his slot allocation of $3.19MM.
Freeland, a lefty from Colorado who played college ball for the University of Evansville, was said to have raised medical concerns from some clubs prior to the draft. Nevertheless, he landed at fifth on Baseball America’s list of the top draft prospects and was rated seventh by MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo. (He slid to 19th on ESPN.com’s Keith Law’s final prospect ranking,)
The lean southpaw has plus-plus command, in BA’s estimation, and has moved his heater into the low to mid-90s. His secondary offerings are led by a mid-80s slider and also include an average curve and decent change. Though Law notes that Freeland did not face top-end competition in college, he did put up a ridiculous 15:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year. While Law rejects the comparison, Freeland has’s body type has led to comparisons to Chris Sale. And as with Sale when he was a draft prospect, some have expressed concern that he’s ultimately ticketed for the bullpen.
Colorado entered the draft with about $8.35MM in achievable pool money from the first ten rounds. The club was aggressive with taking high school prospects elsewhere in the early stages of the draft, nabbing Forrest Wall at 35th overall, Ryan Castellani at the 48th slot, and Kevin Padlo an Max George with its fifth and sixth-round choices. The Rockies will now have about $690K extra to play with in signing those players.
Phillies Sign Aaron Nola
4:08pm: Nola will receive the full slot bonus of $3.3MM and change, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com.
1:08pm: The Phillies announced that they have agreed to terms with right-hander Aaron Nola, whom they selected out of Louisiana State with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft. Terms of the deal have yet to be reported, but the assigned pick value is $3,300,900, according to Baseball America. Nola was advised by and is now represented by Paragon Sports International.
Nola, considered by some to be the most polished collegiate pitcher in the 2014 draft class, was a consensus Top 10 talent and generated some buzz within the Top 5 leading up to the draft as well. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranked Nola sixth among draft prospects, while Baseball America pegged him seventh and Keith Law of ESPN.com ranked him ninth.
In his Junior season at LSU, Nola completely dominated the competition, pitching to an 11-1 record with a 1.47 ERA and a 134-to-27 K/BB ratio in 116 1/3 innings of work. He surrendered just 12 extra-base hits this season (eight doubles, four homers) and held opponents to a minuscule .172 batting average.
Mayo and Callis noted that Nola has “exquisite command” of a three-pitch mix and “effortlessly” sits at 91 to 93 mph with his fastball, also featuring a sometimes-plus changeup and a breaking ball that can both be thrown for strikes. BA has Nola sitting 93 to 94 mph with his fastball and touching 95 while commanding both sides of the plate with some of the best command in the college class. BA also calls Nola “one of the safest bets in the class.” Law’s early scouting report expressed some concern about Nola’s three-quarter arm slot but noted that it does “give right-handed hitters fits” and generate a good deal of ground-balls.
Nola is the first college player selected by the Phillies in the first round since Joe Savery back in 2007. MLBTR’s Zach Links spoke with Nola for our Draft Prospect Q&A series.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jordan Pacheco On Outright Waivers
JUNE 10: Pacheco is currently on outright waivers and will learn his fate in the next 48 hours, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Any team will have the option to claim him (in order of reverse record starting with the NL and then moving to the AL). If not, the Rockies will be able to assign him outright to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
JUNE 4: The Rockies have designated catcher/infielder Jordan Pacheco for assignment, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Fellow backstop Michael McKenry will take his roster spot, while the club will also promote infielder Ryan Wheeler with star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hitting the DL.
Pacheco, 28, has been a mainstay on the Colorado roster for much of the last two seasons, largely due to his defensive flexibility. He saw plenty of time at third in 2012, starting 80 times there and 35 times across the diamond, but last year played mostly at first while also shifting behind the dish at times. Entering 2014 as the reserve backstop, Pacheco has been limited to just 175 1/3 innings in the field thus far, and has taken only one start at a different position.
On the offensive side of the ledger, Pacheco has been unable to follow up on his solid 2012 campaign (.309/.341/.421 in 505 plate appearances). He struggled to a .588 OPS last year, and has slashed .236/.300/.347 through 80 plate appearances in 2014. Of course, all of those numbers reflect time spent at Coors Field; Pacheco’s lifetime wRC+ stands at just 76.
Pirates Promote Gregory Polanco
June 10: The Pirates have officially announced Polanco’s promotion via press release.
June 9: The Pirates have announced that Polanco will be called up prior to tomorrow’s game. A roster opening will be created with Neil Walker going to the 15-day DL after undergoing an appendectomy this evening.
Polanco also tweeted the news from his personal Twitter account. If he is activated tomorrow, Polanco could reach 111 days of MLB service this year, which would make him an unlikely Super Two candidate down the line.
June 4, 7:17pm: A Pirates official says that Polanco will not be called up Friday, specifying that sources saying otherwise are incorrect, according to Dan Zangrilli of 93.7 The Fan (via Twitter; hat tip to Biertempfel).
6:20pm: Two high-ranking club officials say there are no plans to promote Polanco for Friday, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review (via Twitter).
5:46pm: The Pirates will make the much-anticipated promotion of top outfield prospect Gregory Polanco in time to activate him for Friday’s game, reports Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also reports that Polanco is set to join the Pirates on Friday, via Twitter.
Polanco, 22, entered the season as a consensus top-25 prospect league-wide — if not better. Baseball America pushed the toolsy Dominican into the top ten, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law and MLB.com both rated him inside of the top 15. Of course, that was before Polanco went on a rampage in his first real stint Triple-A this year, putting up a .351/.410/.547 line with 6 home runs and 14 steals and leading Law to move him up to the 3rd overall slot among current prospects.
Polanco is far from a bat-first prospect. Indeed, Law says that he features plus-plus defense at the center field position and gets a 70 grade on the basepaths. That is especially notable given that Polanco checks in at a robust 6’4 tall and 220 pounds.
Of course, Polanco is not likely to get a chance to play center in Pittsburgh, which already features a solid defender in Andrew McCutchen at that spot. Instead, like fellow outstanding youngster Starling Marte, he figures to slot in as one of the best corner outfield defenders in the game, combining with McCutchen for perhaps the game’s most exciting trio. The hope is that Polanco can provide an immediate upgrade in right for a team that has received precisely replacement-level production from the spot this year, even taking into account the unexpected outburst from Josh Harrison.
The call-up brings to an end the somewhat controversial stretch of time that Polanco spent at the highest minor league level this year. Many called for an earlier promotion, citing the Bucs’ struggles in right field and the fact that Pittsburgh reportedly offered Polanco a seven-year, $25MM contract extension before he even suited up for the big club. While it would be foolish to deny that Super Two considerations played a role, of course, it is worth bearing in mind that Polanco had taken all of nine plate appearances at the Triple-A level prior to this season, and had only posted a .762 OPS through 286 trips to the plate at Double-A.
Assuming that Polanco is officially added to the active MLB roster on Friday, he would stand to accumulate as many as 115 days of service this year. That is not likely to put him line for Super Two status, which has required anywhere from 2.122 to 2.146 days of service in recent years.
Pittsburgh stands to control Polanco through the 2020 season, and will likely not have to go through arbitration with him until 2018. The rest of the above-mentioned outfielders are controlled long-term as well: McCutchen has had his salary guaranteed through 2017 with a club option for another year, while Marte is under contract through 2019 with two more team options to follow. Given the team’s already-aggressive stance with regard to Polanco, and successful negotiations with his outfield mates, it would not be surprising to see the team look for another chance at a deal in the future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Adam LaRoche
Consistency hasn’t exactly been Adam LaRoche‘s calling card over the past several years, but he’s timing one of his better seasons well, as he faces the strong likelihood of hitting the open market this offseason. LaRoche’s two-year deal with the Nationals contains a $15MM mutual option ($2MM buyout), but teams and players almost never agree to exercise both ends of a mutual option.
Typically, if a team exercises their half of the option, it’s because the player has had a strong season, leading the player to reject in search of more money on the open market. If the player exercises his half, it’s typically due to injury or poor performance, causing the team to reject. In LaRoche’s case, team dynamics come into play as well; Washington likely needs to open up first base for Ryan Zimmerman, whose persistent shoulder problems no longer allow him to handle third base.
As such, LaRoche seems likely to hit the open market, and he’s quietly on pace to do so as one of the most productive bats on the upcoming class. LaRoche is hitting .306/.417/.513 with eight homers, nine doubles and a 33-to-31 K/BB ratio in 192 plate appearances this season. Both his 16.1 percent walk rate and 17.2 percent strikeout rate are career-bests. He did miss 15 games with a quad injury earlier this year, though for now that looks to be behind him.
Ultimate Zone Rating has dinged him for his defense thus far, but Defensive Runs Saved feels that he’s on his way to his fifth straight season of plus defensive value. LaRoche has long had some problems with left-handed pitching, but he’s holding his own to this point with a .381 OBP against southpaws, and platoon problems certainly don’t bar some players from being paid.
LaRoche is set to turn 35 in November, but if he maintains the pace he’s currently on, it’s not hard to envision him landing another two-year deal, perhaps with some type of vesting option. His main competition will be Michael Morse, but aside from that, he’ll be competing against Corey Hart and Michael Cuddyer — both of whom have had significant injuries in 2014 already (and Cuddyer is a year older).
Billy Butler, too, could hit the open market if his option is declined by the Royals, but he’s in the midst of a poor season and likely couldn’t top LaRoche based on performance. Given the dearth of left-handed pop on next year’s free agent market — Kendrys Morales and Victor Martinez are the top alternatives, but both are more designated hitters than first basemen — LaRoche is in a good position despite his age.
It seems likely that his performance will be worthy of receiving a qualifying offer — believed to be in the $15MM range next offseason — but the need to open first for Zimmerman likely will prevent the Nats from extending one. LaRoche could look at a qualifying offer as merely receiving a $2MM raise for next season (he’d pocket the $2MM buyout of his option and still earn $15MM or so), which makes it a risk that Washington seems unlikely to take.
The knocks on LaRoche are well-known; his career OPS versus lefties is 114 points lower than his mark against right-handed pitching, age isn’t on his side and he hasn’t turned in a consecutive pair of well above-average offensive seasons since 2009-10 (122 OPS+ each year). Some teams likely will have the perception that a two-year deal will pay him for one strong season and one so-so campaign, and I’d imagine a number of clubs will be more interested on a one-year deal.
Nonetheless, LaRoche and agent Mike Milchin of Relativity Baseball appear to be in solid position as they look to lock down what could be the last significant contract of a solid offensive career. Morales recently received the pro-rated version of a $12MM salary after sitting out the first two months of the season, and Justin Morneau received a two-year, $12.5MM deal coming off a vastly inferior season to the one LaRoche is putting together.
Even if LaRoche simply finishes the season by hitting at his career pace — .266/.340/.475 — he’d finish with one of the best OPS+ marks of his career. In that instance, a two-year deal worth $10MM+ annually seems very attainable. The fact that he is facing very limited competition both at his position (first base) and in terms of his best skill (left-handed power) only strengthens LaRoche’s free agent outlook.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockies Designate Wilton Lopez For Assignment
The Rockies announced, via Twitter, that right-hander Wilton Lopez has been designated for assignment in a series of roster moves. Michael Cuddyer has been placed on the 15-day DL with a left shoulder strain, and rookie right-hander Eddie Butler has also hit the DL due to inflammation in his right rotator cuff. Lopez’s DFA creates room for right-hander Christian Bergman, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Additionally, Chad Bettis has been recalled from the minors.
The 30-year-old Lopez spent three seasons as one of the most underrated setup men in baseball with the Astros, pitching to a 2.64 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 2014 1/3 innings. Lopez’s elite command and a ground-ball rate near 56 percent in that time attracted the Rockies, who acquired him in a trade that sent Alex Gillingham and Alex White to Houston in exchange for Lopez and a player to be named later (Jose Monzon).
However, Lopez has largely disappointed in one-and-a-half years with the Rockies, pitching to a sub-par 4.63 ERA. Lopez has allowed 18 hits (three homers) in just 6 1/3 innings this season, and he’s seen stark declines in his strikeout rate, velocity and ground-ball rate since coming over to Colorado. The decline isn’t necessarily a complete shock, as the Phillies were set to acquire him prior to Colorado’s acquisition but called the deal off due to concerns over Lopez’s shoulder.