- Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea is likely to miss a start and may hit the 10-day DL, as Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. But the overall news is good. Manaea, who came down with some shoulder stiffness in his most recent outing, is not expected to require an extended absence.
Athletics Rumors
Latest On Luis Robert’s Market
Nineteen-year-old outfielder Luis Robert is the top international talent that is available on the amateur market and, after recently being declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, has already begun hosting private workouts with interested teams, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler. The Athletics hosted a workout for Robert last Friday that was attended by GM David Forst, according to Badler, and Reds GM Dick Williams was on hand to watch him this past Tuesday in a workout. Prior to that, he’d worked out for the Astros, Badler adds.
Badler notes that Robert’s camp is also expected to set up private workouts with the Padres, Cardinals and White Sox in the coming weeks. It seems that of those three clubs, the heavy-spending Padres are up first, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports (via Twitter) that Robert will work out with the Pads tomorrow. To this point, the Padres have paced all 30 teams in terms of international spending during the current signing period, as their total investment (including luxury tax penalties for shattering their allotted bonus pool) is in the vicinity of $80MM.
The willingness to spend at such an aggressive level may be key for any club that wishes to sign Robert, as FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes in his latest Inside Baseball column that one source who closely follows the international market believes Robert already has a $25MM offer “in hand,” though Heyman notes that others have suggested to him no offers have been made to this point. There could, of course, be some semantics at play there in terms of what constitutes a formal offer. A price tag in the vicinity of $25MM for Robert would come with a 100 percent luxury tax attached to it, meaning he’d cost any team that signed him at that rate a total of roughly $50MM.
As Badler writes, though Robert has been declared a free agent, he won’t formally be cleared to sign until May 20. In the interim, he’ll host at least one more open showcase for teams, in addition to the remaining private workouts his camp will orchestrate.
It’s worth noting that of the teams linked to Robert, only the White Sox have yet to exceed their current international bonus pool. In other words, while other clubs would essentially only be parting with money in order to sign Robert, the ChiSox would need to determine if Robert is worth handcuffing themselves in each of the next two international signing periods; should the Sox decide to exceed their pool in the eleventh hour — the current signing period ends on June 15 — they’d be unable to sign any individual player for more than $300K in either the 2017-18 or 2018-19 signing periods.
In a similar vein, teams that are still in the metaphorical “penalty box” for crushing their allotted pools in previous signing periods won’t be able to compete for Robert’s services, as they’re each capped at that same $300K figure on individual signings. That eliminates the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Blue Jays, Rays, Royals and Diamondbacks from serving as serious competition in the Robert market.
Though Robert is just 19 years of age, he’d already blossomed into a star, hitting a ridiculous .401/.526/.687 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, a pair of triples and 11 steals over the life of 53 games (232 plate appearances) in his final pro season in the Cuban National Series. Scouting reports on Robert note that he’s capable of playing center field right now, though he may ultimately wind up in a corner. Badler has previously written that both his bat speed and raw power are plus, and Heyman’s above-linked piece offers a number of favorable reviews of Robert’s skill set. Additionally, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez has previously spoken to a number of international scouting directors who have heaped praise onto Robert, calling him the game’s best international prospect behind Japanese phenom Shohei Otani and labeling him one of the most talented young players on the planet.
Manaea Experiencing Shoulder Tightness, Loss Of Velocity
Athletics lefty Sean Manaea exited yesterday’s game after just two innings due to left shoulder tightness, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The departure of yet another of the Athletics’ top starters is troubling enough, but Slusser adds that Manaea’s velocity was topping out at 90 mph on Wednesday — a far cry from the 95 mph at which he usually tops out and from the 92.5 mph he’s averaged thus far in 2017. Slusser has since tweeted that Manaea did pass some initial strength tests with his shoulder today and hopes to try throwing tomorrow.
Sonny Gray Nearing Return
- Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray could be one more rehab start away from making his 2017 big league debut, relays Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California (video link). According to manager Bob Melvin, the A’s will “have a decision to make” on Gray after he takes the mound for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday. Gray, who’s on the mend from a lat strain, threw five scoreless, one-hit innings Saturday for Single-A Stockton, saying afterward that he had “no limitations” (Twitter link via Shea).
Athletics Acquire Ryan LaMarre
The Athletics have acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, as per announcements from both teams. In a related move, the A’s moved right-hander Chris Bassitt to the 60-day DL to create roster space. Los Angeles designated LaMarre for assignment earlier this week when catcher Juan Graterol was acquired in a trade with Toronto. LaMarre, 28, signed a Major League deal with the Halos this winter but began the season at Triple-A.
Originally a second-round pick for the Reds in the 2010 draft, LaMarre has a .267/.345/.381 slash line over 2695 career plate appearances in the minors, plus 27 games in the big leagues with the Reds and Red Sox from 2015-16. He has primarily played as a center fielder during his career, so LaMarre provides the A’s with some versatile outfield depth at the minor league level.
The 60-day DL placement means that Bassitt can’t return to Oakland’s roster under June, even though an early return didn’t seem possible anyway given that Bassitt underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2016. The righty was reported to be making good progress in his recovery as of two weeks ago, though Bassitt is obviously still in need of a lengthy rehab stint in the minors.
Athletics Could Be Surprise Entry In Luis Robert Sweepstakes
- The White Sox, Padres, Cardinals, Reds and Astros are among the favorites to sign Robert, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez writes, echoing previous reports. Sanchez also lists the Athletics as a possibility, noting that the A’s have spent heavily on international talent (including Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros) since July and have “strong interest” in Robert. Sanchez further notes that the A’s took the rest of MLB by surprise by signing another Cuban outfield phenom, Yoenis Cespedes, in 2012. Sanchez also tweets that A’s GM David Forst and other team officials are in the Dominican to scout Robert.
Daulton Jeffries To Have TJ Surgery; A's Promote Olson
- Athletics prospect Daulton Jefferies will undergo Tommy John surgery, Scout.com’s Melissa Lockard writes. Jeffries was the 37th overall pick in last year’s draft out of UC-Berkeley despite missing part of the 2016 season due to a shoulder injury. The righty made five brief starts in rookie ball last year and had made two appearances with Class A+ Stockton this season. MLB.com currently rates him at the Athletics’ No. 8 prospect, praising his athleticism and delivery and noting he could eventually become a No. 4-type starter in the big leagues.
- Yesterday, the Athletics promoted 1B/OF Matt Olson and optioned righty Cesar Valdez to the minors, MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweeted. Olson gives the A’s an extra bench option, with Valdez heading to the minors after a spot start Thursday (a start that was, remarkably, his first big-league action since he was with Arizona in 2010). Once one of the Athletics’ top prospects, Olson’s stock has fallen somewhat as he’s risen through the system, but he still has an impressive 105 career minor-league home runs, and his abilities to play first and right field, and perhaps third base in a pinch, could help the A’s.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/20/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- Veteran right-hander Jim Miller has retired from playing (Twitter link). The 34-year-old, who last saw the Majors in 2015, was a reliable member of the Athletics’ bullpen back in 2012 when he tossed 48 2/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. Miller never saw much action outside of that stint, though, as he logged a total of 67 1/3 innings in the Majors with a 3.48 ERA. Miller, a veteran 13 minor league seasons, was with the Twins in Spring Training but has now decided to pursue opportunities in player development.
- The Athletics announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Cesar Valdez, who started tonight’s game for them. In order to clear a 40-man roster spot, they moved Marcus Semien, who is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured wrist, to the 60-day disabled list. Catcher Bruce Maxwell was optioned out to Triple-A to clear room on the active roster for Valdez. The 32-year-old Valdez’s appearance tonight somewhat remarkably represents his first Major League action since the 2010 campaign, when he made nine appearances (two starts) for the Diamondbacks. Valdez has just 20 Major League innings under his belt but has a 4.40 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 over the life of nearly 400 Triple-A innings in his career.
Marcus Semien Undergoes Surgery For Fractured Wrist
April 20: Semien has had the surgery and is in a cast for another five days, after which he’ll be placed in a splint, tweets MLB.com’s Jane Lee. While initial timeline suggestions were that he’d be reevaluated in six weeks, Lee relays a slightly more optimistic schedule, noting that his reevaluation will now come in four to six weeks.
April 17: Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien will require surgery to repair a fracture of the scaphoid bone in his right wrist, MLB.com’s Jane Lee was among those to report on Twitter. There’s no known timeline at present, but Semien won’t even be reevaluated until about six weeks after the procedure.
It’s tough news for the A’s, who were hoping the 26-year-old could continue to make strides and blossom into a high-quality regular in 2017. That’s still possible, of course, but first he’ll have to work back from this injury.
Semien broke out in the power department last year, but didn’t reach base very often while carrying a pedestrian walk rate. This year, he has already taken ten walks in 46 plate appearances, though he also has just two extra-base hits (both doubles) in the early going.
For the time being, Adam Rosales and Chad Pinder figure to share time at shortstop. Oakland won’t yet go to top young talent Franklin Barreto, who is embarking upon his first full season at Triple-A, though he could become a factor at some point too.
Felix Doubront Progressing, Will Return As Reliever
- Lefty Felix Doubront is still rehabbing for the Athletics, but there are already plans to make a change when he returns. Doubront will return in a relief role, GM David Forst told reporters including MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter). The 29-year-old has mostly functioned as a starter in the bigs, though he does have experience working from the pen as well. Doubront could return from his Tommy John surgery by June, per the report.
