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Marlins Sign Supplemental 2nd-Rounder Kyle Nicolas

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The Marlins have signed supplemental second-rounder Kyle Nicolas for $1,129,700, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. That’s the full slot value of Nicolas’ pick, No. 61 overall.

The 21-year-old Nicolas attended college at Ball State, where he struggled to keep runs off the board in his first two seasons before coming into his own during a shortened 2020 campaign. Across 23 innings last season, he logged a 2.74 ERA with 14.5 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9. He subsequently entered the draft as a top 70 prospect according to FanGraphs (53), MLB.com (60), ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (64) and Baseball America (No. 68). FanGraphs, the most bullish of those outlets, calls Nicolas a relief-only prospect and writes that he brings a high-90s fastball and a promising slider/curveball mix to the table.

Nicolas joins first-rounder Max Meyer as the only 2020 draft picks the Marlins have signed so far. Second-rounder Dax Fulton, third-rounder Zach McCambley, fourth-rounder Jake Eder and fifth-rounder Kyle Hurt are still without the deals. The Marlins went into the draft with a $12,016,900 bonus pool. Between Nicolas and Meyer, they’ve spent just over $7.8MM.

Red Sox, Zack Godley Reportedly Nearing Agreement

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JULY 15: Godley’s in Boston, likely to get a physical, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. A deal looks “imminent,” Bradford adds.

JULY 14: The Red Sox are nearing a deal with free-agent right-hander Zack Godley, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. It’s unclear whether it will be a major league contract for Godley, whom the Tigers released from a minors pact Monday.

Godley will get an opportunity to win a starting spot in Boston, whose rotation looks shaky after taking multiple hits in recent months. They’ll go the whole season without ace and recent Tommy John recipient Chris Sale. Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez has been down since last week because of a positive COVID-19 test. It seems unlikely he’ll be good to go for Opening Day, while Collin McHugh definitely won’t be ready as he continues his recovery from elbow troubles.

As things stand, the Red Sox are down to Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez as their most experienced starters who are actually healthy. Matt Hall, Brian Johnson, Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza are among in-house options competing for roles after Eovaldi and Perez.

The 30-year-old Godley, like Eovaldi and Perez, brings a somewhat lengthy but inconsistent track record to the table. Godley seemed to break out in 2017 as a Diamondback with 155 innings of 3.37 ERA/3.41 FIP pitching. While he was less effective at preventing runs the next season (4.74 ERA/3.82 FIP), he still amassed 178 1/3 frames and struck out more than a batter per inning for the second straight campaign.

Unfortunately, Godley continued to fall off last season. He performed so badly in Arizona that the team designated him for assignment in August, and while Toronto did end up adding him on waivers, he didn’t last long there. All told, Godley made 33 appearances (only nine starts) and registered a 5.97 ERA/5.20 FIP over 92 innings. His K/9 took a major turn for the worse along the way, plummeting to 6.85.

Despite his 2019 downturn, Godley would seem to represent a worthwhile buy-low arm who may have some multiyear upside. If he actually sticks with his next team, he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2022 season.

Mets Place Brad Brach, Jared Hughes On IL

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The Mets have placed relievers Brad Brach and Jared Hughes on the injured list, Tim Britton of The Athletic was among those to report. The team didn’t provide a reason in either case, but neither player has reported to Summer Camp yet.

Brach had great success with the Orioles and Braves earlier in his career, but his production took a negative turn in 2019 as a member of the Cubs. After signing a one-year, $3MM deal in free agency, he slumped to a 6.13 ERA and a bloated 6.4 BB/9 in 39 2/3 innings, leading the Cubs to release him in August. Brach then caught on with the Mets, with whom he tossed 14 2/3 innings of 3.68 ERA ball and posted 9.2 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9. That was enough for New York to bring him back on a one-year, $850K with a 2021 club option.

Hughes, meanwhile, just joined the Mets last month, signing a major league deal worth a prorated $700K. The former Pirate, Brewer, Red and Phillie brings a strong track record of preventing runs and keeping the ball on the ground, though his 4.04 ERA and 5.29 FIP from a year ago rank among the worst of his career.

Both Brach and Hughes have eaten up quite a bit of innings in recent years, and the Mets likely had similar plans for them entering this season. Now, though, it’s now unknown if or when they’ll be ready to go. However, the Mets do still have several well-established late-game arms they’ll be able to call on, including Dellin Betances, Seth Lugo, Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson and Robert Gsellman.

Byron Buxton Expects To Be Ready For Season

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JULY 15: Buxton said Wednesday he expects to be ready for the Twins’ opener, per Hayes.

July 14: Buxton has been diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain, the team announced to reporters at Target Field today (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park). He’s listed as day-to-day for the time being.

July 13, 7:39pm: Buxton’s initial exam didn’t reveal any serious problems, according to manager Rocco Baldelli (via Hayes). They’re cautiously optimistic Buxton will be OK.

6:47pm: Buxton’s having imaging done on a left foot injury, tweets Hayes, who adds that the Twins should have more information on his status Tuesday.

6:38pm: Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was carted off the field Monday after suffering an apparent injury to his left ankle, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Buxton departed after possibly getting “a spike caught in the turf,” Hayes writes. Further details aren’t available yet.

Should this turn out to be a major injury, it would be the latest in an unfortunately long line of them for Buxton. The 26-year-old’s health issues helped limit him to 115 of a possible 324 regular-season games from 2018-19. Buxton only took part in 87 games last year, which ended for him when he underwent left shoulder surgery in September. That procedure prevented Buxton from participating in the Twins’ ALDS matchup versus the Yankees.

Thanks in part to injuries, Buxton’s career perhaps hasn’t gone to plan since the Twins drafted him second overall in 2012. But there’s no denying that Buxton has shown immense promise at times. The defensively brilliant speedster was a 3.6-fWAR player in 2017 – the lone season thus far in which he has amassed 100-plus games – and logged 2.7 fWAR in 2019 despite missing almost half the campaign. He slashed a career-best .262/.314/.513 (111 wRC+) with 10 homers and 14 steals over 295 plate appearances then, also chipping in 10 Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-8.7 Ultimate Zone Rating.

To their credit, he Twins did more than stay afloat without Buxton a season ago. And at least a few of the center field options they used in his stead – Max Kepler, Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade Jr. – are still on hand. That said, it would be optimal for the team to have Buxton in the mix. The hope right now is that he’s not dealing with yet another significant problem.

Astros Place Joe Smith On Restricted List

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4:31pm: Houston’s proceeding as if it won’t have Smith this season, according to manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). “He’s welcome to come back,” Baker said. “Right now, we plan to go without Joe.”

7:27am: The Astros have placed reliever Joe Smith on the restricted list, Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports on Twitter. Smith has not yet reported to camp, citing health and safety concerns relating to his family, though it is not yet clear whether he will formally opt out of the season.

The defending American League champs are facing a few pitching challenges. Reliever Josh James was only able to arrive yesterday. Starter Jose Urquidy has yet to report, joining young slugger Yordan Alvarez in that regard. Those players’ precise situations aren’t known.

Smith, 35, had been a key part of the Houston relief corps. The club called upon him four times apiece in last year’s ALCS and World Series. He missed time with injury in 2019 but worked to a 1.80 ERA in his 25 appearances.

If Smith does not end up playing for the ’Stros this year, the team would save the pro-rated portion of his $4MM salary. He inked a two-year, $8MM pact in advance of the 2020 campaign.

*The original version of this story reflected since-withdrawn reporting by Jim Bowden of The Athletic (via Twitter) suggesting Smith had decided to opt out.

Anthony Rizzo Dealing With Rib Inflammation

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Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is battling an injury that could jeopardize his chances of being in the team’s lineup on Opening Day, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. Rizzo underwent an MRI on Wednesday that confirmed rib head swelling on his left side. He’s dealing with back spasms as a result of the swelling.

Rizzo, whose back has troubled him in the past, noted it’s a “frustrating” problem, adding, “I just can’t control the flare ups.” However, that doesn’t mean the 30-year-old will start the season on the injured list. Rizzo, manager David Ross and the Cubs’ training staff will continue to monitor his status leading up to the team’s July 24 opener.

Of course, in a shortened season, it becomes even more important for the Cubs to have a healthy Rizzo helping lead their offense. The three-time All-Star and beloved clubhouse presence turned in yet another impressive season in 2019, batting .293/.405/.520 (141 wRC+) with 27 home runs in 613 plate appearances. That type of production obviously can’t be replaced with ease, but if Rizzo does miss time at the beginning of the season, odds are the Cubs will deploy third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant and catcher Victor Caratini at first base, Gonzales suggests.

Pirates To Add Nick Gonzalez, Liover Peguero To 60-Man Player Pool

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3:39pm: The Pirates also plan to add shortstop prospect Liover Peguero to their player pool, general manager Ben Cherington told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other reporters. The 19-year-old Peguero was part of Pittsburgh’s return from Arizona for outfielder Starling Marte in the teams’ offseason trade.

12:01pm: The Pirates are bringing recent top draft pick Nick Gonzales to the club’s auxiliary Summer Camp at Altoona, Adam Young of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. He’ll be formally added to the 60-man player pool once he clears coronavirus testing.

Gonzales just signed on with the Bucs after being taken with the seventh overall pick of the recent amateur draft. The New Mexico State second baseman is a highly polished collegiate hitter.

The 21-year-old’s overall track record is impressive as it is, but Gonzales’s shortened 2020 season was flat out ridiculous. In 82 plate appearances, he launched a dozen home runs and drew 21 walks, producing an outlandish .448/.610/1.155 slash line.

There’s every reason to think that Gonzales will be a rather quick mover up the ladder of the Pirates farm system … once he gets a place to start, at least. By gaining exposure now to MLB and near-MLB pitching, he’ll have a chance to earn a rather lofty affiliate placement next spring.

Latest On Mets Bidding

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2:13pm: This morning’s report has received quite a bit of pushback. Per a statement from Silver Lake, “Any claim that Silver Lake is making or joining a bid for the NY Mets is entirely false and inaccurate.”

That follows a report from Charles Gasparino of FOX Business (Twitter link), who cites a spokesperson for the proposition that Adelson “has no interest in buying” the Mets, whether or not as part of a group.

10:28am: In a major potential development in the Mets sale process, billionaire Sheldon Adelson has entered the bidding picture, according to a report from Thornton McEnery of the New York Post.

Adelson, a casino magnate and top Republican donor who previously dabbled with the NFL’s Raiders as they moved to Las Vegas, is not launching his own, independent bid. Rather, he and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners are said to be joining the already established bidding group led by the present owners of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

As McEnery details, this represents quite an aggregation of wealth in one outfit. It isn’t clear just what the mix of ownership would be, though it seems Josh Harris and David Blitzer remain the lead prospective owners. Presumably, one of those men would be presented to the league as the would-be control person.

Most of the recent chatter surrounding the Mets sale process has involved the reemergence of Steve Cohen as the leading bidder. He was already trying to hold off a celebrity-laden group that couldn’t challenge him for financial supremacy. Now, Cohen will be vying with an even richer challenger.

Miguel Sano Cleared To Re-Join Twins

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Twins slugger Miguel Sano has been cleared to re-join the club’s Summer Camp, per a team announcement. He had previously tested positive for COVID-19.

There’s no indication that Sano is any worse for the wear after dealing with the coronavirus infection. Thankfully, he seems to have had a mild case and has obviously now twice tested negative for a continuing infection.

Sano, 27, is slated to move to first base this season to make way for incoming third bagger Josh Donaldson. If all goes as hoped, Sano will pick up where he left off last year, when he socked a career-high 34 home runs and ran up a .247/.346/.576 batting line in 439 plate appearances.

That big showing earned Sano an extension this spring. Fortunately, for his sake, the deal included only a $3MM salary for the 2020 season — the one that’ll be discounted due to the pandemic. He’s guaranteed a total of $23MM for the 2021-22 campaigns (including the buyout on a 2023 club option).

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