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Athletics Agree To Terms With Matt Olson

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The A's have agreed to terms with supplementary first-round pick Matt Olson, according to a team release.  Olson, a high school first baseman, was taken with the 47th overall pick, which the A's received as compensation for David DeJesus signing with the Cubs last winter.  No financial details were announced but Baseball America's Jim Callis reports (Twitter link) that Olson's deal matches the MLB-recommended bonus price of slightly under $1.08MM for the 47th overall selection.

Oakland also confirmed that Daniel Robertson, another supplemental first-rounder, had agreed to terms.  Jim Callis reported earlier this week that the two sides had agreed to a $1.5MM bonus that matched Robertson's recommended price as the 34th overall selection.  The A's also agreed to terms with three more picks — Melvin Mercedes (16th round), Derek DeYoung (18th) and Tyler Johnson (33rd) — to bring their total of signed picks to 31 out of 43 drafted players.

Rosenthal On Royals, A’s, Barney, Orioles

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Many baseball people expect the Padres to trade Carlos Quentin, but the team is in a fluid situation, so that assumption is not safe, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Padres should have some payroll flexibility this offseason, so they could keep the outfielder despite their modest budget. Here are Rosenthal’s latest rumors:

  • Jeff Francoeur has played through ailments and injuries this year and the Royals like his leadership, so they aren’t necessarily looking to trade him.
  • Last August the Royals offered Melky Cabrera the same two-year, $13.5MM contract Francoeur eventually signed, but Cabrera declined the offer and the Royals traded him a few months later.
  • Rosenthal suggests the A’s aren’t eager to trade veterans for marginal returns. The team is hovering around .500 and plays 18 of its next 28 games at home. The A’s would probably love to trade Kurt Suzuki, Rosenthal writes.
  • One exec predicts the Phillies don’t have enough confidence in their outfield depth to trade Hunter Pence this summer.
  • An agent predicts Cole Hamels will sign a monster free agent contract this coming offseason and Rosenthal says the Phillies won’t go near $150MM for six years or $175MM for seven years.
  • Rival teams frequently ask about Darwin Barney and it’s possible the Cubs will trade the second baseman.
  • The Orioles seem to have the most interest in trading for Diamondbacks left-hander Joe Saunders, Rosenthal reports.
  • The Orioles’ Triple-A team, which includes Miguel Tejada, Jamie Moyer and Dontrelle Willis, tops the Orioles’ MLB team in career earnings, Rosenthal notes.
  • One executive suggested a growing number of teams could request 72-hour windows to negotiate extensions with trade targets this summer because of the provision in the new collective bargaining agreement that prevents teams from obtaining draft pick compensation for players acquired midseason. However, players wouldn’t necessarily be interested in signing and it’d cost teams time and leverage.

Minors Moves: Hill, Carlson, Ka’aihue

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We'll keep track of today's minor league moves here, with the latest up top..

AL West Notes: Manny, A’s, Saunders, Vargas

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Manny Ramirez has been eligible to join the A's major league roster for more than two weeks after completing his 50-game suspension, but the slugger remained in Triple-A.  Last night, the situation reached its logical conclusion as Ramirez requested his outright release and the team obliged.  Here's more on Manny and a look around the AL West..

  • Ramirez told ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas that he isn't mad at Oakland for not promoting him and hopes to continue his career.  "The A's treated me amazingly during all this time, but sadly didn't have space for me and this is something I can't control. I'm going home to continue my training hoping to get the chance to play again," said the slugger.
  • Pitcher Joe Saunders was emotional when he learned that the Angels were trading him to the Diamondbacks in 2010 as part of a package for Dan Haren, writes Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.  Looking back on it now, the hurler says that he is glad to be a part of the building process in Arizona.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) says not to discount the Mariners' Jason Vargas as a trade candidate due to his road ERA (4.53).  In total, the left-hander has a 3.95 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 15 starts this year.

Athletics Release Manny Ramirez

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The Athletics have announced that Manny Ramirez has requested his outright release and the team has granted his request.  The veteran recently completed his 50-game suspension and was eligible to join the club on May 30th.

Ramirez, 40, hit .302/.348/.349 for Triple-A Sacramento in 69 plate appearances this year.  Just last week, A's GM Billy Beane said that the club hadn't decided whether to release the slugger.  Oakland signed Ramirez in February and Beane insisted that the move had everything to do with baseball and nothing to do with PR.

Athletics To Sign Daniel Robertson

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The Athletics have agreed to terms with third baseman Daniel Robertson, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Robertson's $1.5MM bonus exactly matches the suggested value for the No. 34 pick.

The high schooler was the club's first of two supplemental first-round picks. Callis writes that Robertson has a quality bat with a chance for average to plus power.  Yesterday we learned that the A's agreed to pay the full $2.625MM bonus for 11th overall pick Addison Russell.

Athletics To Sign Addison Russell

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THURSDAY: Russell will receive a $2.625MM bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter), the full slot value for the 11th overall pick.

MONDAY: First round selection Addison Russell told Jason Blakeney of the Pensacola News Journal that he has decided to sign with the Athletics. Russell, the 11th overall selection in last week's draft, will fly to California this week, and advisor Scott Boras will finalize his contract.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Russell said. "Being part of a big league club and being an affiliate of the Oakland A's is a dream come true."

Russell didn't reveal the specifics of his deal with the A's, saying only that they "offered [him] a good chunk of change.” MLB recommends a bonus of $2.625MM for the 11th overall selection, according to Baseball America.

Russell, a high school shortstop, became the first prep player selected by Oakland in the first round since 2001. While some teams wanted to move him to third base, the A's told him he can continue playing shortstop for the time being.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Draft Signings: Mariners, Mets, Royals, A’s, Pirates

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Here are today's latest draft signings, with the most recent updates up top..

  • ‪The Mariners‬ signed sixth-round pick Timmy Lopes for $550K, well over the pick value of $198K, according to Callis (via Twitter).  The infielder out of California is said to have a good bat, not unlike his older brother Christian Lopes who was drafted by the Blue Jays last year.  The M's also announced that they signed 26 others from this year's draft and have now inked 25 of their first 30 picks.
  • The Mets‬ signed third-rounder Matt Koch for $425K, slightly below his pick value of $445K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  The right-hander has a 92-96 mph fastball and flashes good slider and changeup. 
  • The Royals‬ signed fourth-round pick, Stanford infielder Kenny Diekroeger, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Just one of Kansas City's top ten picks remain unsigned.
  • The A’s announced that they agreed to terms with center fielder Herschel Powell (20th round), right-hander Lee Sosa (26th), shortstop Christopher Wolfe (30th), and first baseman John Wooten (37th).
  • The Pirates announced that they signed eight draft picks, including infielder Eric Wood (sixth round).  Pittsburgh has now inked nine draft picks in total and continues to negotiate with eighth-overall pick Mark Appel.

Draft Signings: Mathisen, Maxwell, Cardinals

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Here are Saturday's notable non-first round draft pick signings…

  • The Pirates have agreed to sign second rounder Wyatt Mathisen according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Sulia). Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects first reported the agreement. The high school catcher from Texas was the 69th overall pick, which carries a slot value of $746K.
  • The Athletics have signed second rounder Bruce Maxwell for a below slot $770K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The college bat was slotted for $831K.  Maxwell is represented by Matt Sosnick and Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
  • In addition to first rounder Stryker Trahan, the Diamondbacks announced that they've agreed to terms with 30 other draft picks. Second rounder Jose Munoz and third rounder Jake Barrett highlight the crop. The Arizona Republic has the full list.
  • Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (on Twitter) that the D'Backs gave ninth rounder Jeff Gibbs a $90K bonus plus college tuition. Callis reports (on Twitter) that they gave fourth rounder Charles Taylor a $250K bonus. Slot money for those two picks is $125K and $286K, respectively.
  • The Cardinals have signed third rounder Tim Cooney for a straight slot $404K bonus, reports Callis (on Twitter). The left-hander hails from Wake Forest.
  • The Mariners have agreed to terms with fourth rounder Patrick Kivlehan, reports MLB.com's Josh Liebeskind. Slot money for the Rutgers third baseman is $353K. Seattle also signed 12th rounder Mike Faulkner for $100K according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox have signed their fifth through tenth round draft picks according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. All six players are college seniors.
  • The Royals have signed sixth rounder Zach Lovvorn for $275K, reports Callis (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick was $194K.
  • The Astros announced the signing of eight more picks, including ninth rounder Daniel Minor. Houston has now signed 18 picks total according to the release.
  • The Phillies have signed tenth rounder Kevin Brady for a straight slot $125K bonus according to Callis (on Twitter). The right-hander is out of Clemson.

Athletics Claim Danny Farquhar Off Waivers

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‪The Athletics‬ announced that they have claimed pitcher Danny Farquhar off of waivers from the Blue Jays.  The right-hander will be optioned to Triple-A Sacramento while Andrew Carignan has been transferred to the 60-day DL.

The move marks a return to the A's organization to Farquhar, who joined Oakland in November 2010 as a part of the Rajai Davis deal.  The 25-year-old was soon sent back to Toronto in April for David Purcey.  Farquhar owns a 2.97 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20 Double-A appearances this year.

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