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Amateur Draft Signings: 6/12/18

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We’ll use this post to track Tuesday’s notable agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public) …

  • Rangers second-rounder Owen White will take a $1.5MM bonus to bypass his commitment to the University of South Carolina, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). White ranked just inside the top fifty on Law’s board and just a shade lower on the others. Analysts believe he has some room to grow into his frame and better maintain the mid-nineties velocity he has shown at times. Plus, there are hints of four potentially useful pitches for the Texas developmental staff to work with. Taken 55th overall, White will secure a bonus that’s $242,500 over the slot value of the selection.

Mets Expect Lengthy Absence For AJ Ramos

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When he hit the DL with a shoulder injury about two weeks ago, it was not really clear how long Mets reliever AJ Ramos would miss. GM Sandy Alderson said today, though, that the righty is expected to sidelined for a significant stretch, as Tim Britton of The Athletic was among those to tweet.

Alderson revealed that Ramos is weighing a surgical route, in fact, though the precise nature of the underlying injury remains unclear. The alternative would be a rehab course that will also require further downtime.

“We certainly don’t expect him back anytime soon,” Alderson said. Though we still don’t know even loose potential timelines, it seems fair to read that as an indication that the Mets will go without one of their most experienced late-inning arms for the foreseeable future.

Of course, the 31-year-old Ramos had not been at his best in 2018. Acquired last summer even as the Mets sold off veterans, and then signed to a $9.225MM salary in his final year of arbitration, Ramos was seen as a key piece of the pen this year. Through 19 2/3 innings, though, he’s carrying a 6.41 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 6.9 BB/9.

Control problems are nothing new for Ramos, who has 99 career saves but also a lifetime average of 4.9 walks per nine innings. With free agency beckoning at season’s end, though, it was all the more important that he demonstrate he could keep the free passes in check. As things stand, Ramos will have quite a lot to prove if and when he’s able to return later in the season.

Blue Jays Agree To Terms With Jordan Groshans, Adam Kloffenstein

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12:24pm: Groshans will receive $3.4MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter), leaving just over $800K of the extra pool space needed to fit Kloffenstein. The latter’s precise bonus amount is $2.45MM, Callis adds on Twitter.

10:50am: The Blue Jays have reportedly agreed to terms with top draft choice Jordan Groshans and third-rounder Adam Kloffenstein. The duo is expected to command a major portion of the team’s overall draft pool.

Stefan Stevenson of the Star-Telegram reported Kloffenstein’s agreement to a bonus in the $2.5MM range, though the exact number is not yet known. Meanwhile, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported that the team had sorted bonus values out on draft night with both players. It’s still unknown just what Groshans will sign for, but Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets that there is now a deal in place with the first-rounder.

Making this pair of additions work was clearly the key to the Toronto draft strategy. Groshans was taken with the 12th overall pick, which comes with a $4,200,900 allocation. Kloffenstein went 88th, at a $652,900 slot, meaning the team needed to set aside close to $2MM of pool availability from other picks in order to sort the money out.

Groshans, a Kansas commit who plays on the left side of the infield, topped out at 28th in pre-draft rankings. Fangraphs put him there, but was the only outlet to tab him as among the top thirty players eligible for selection. Groshans is said to have interesting power upside and an “electric” overall set of tools, but also still a few things to iron out as a pro.

As for Kloffenstein, he’s a righty who had been committed to play his college ball at TCU. As Davidi details in his story, Kloffenstein had an interesting draft experience amidst uncertainty as to whether any team would meet his bonus request. In the end, he’ll take a deal to join the same organization as his neighbor and friend. Kloffenstein’s highest grade came from Baseball America, which cited the big-framed hurler’s recent strides and remaining projectability.

Twins Designate Gregorio Petit

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The Twins have designated infielder Gregorio Petit for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot was needed for the signing of reliever Matt Belisle, which is now official.

Petit, 33, has seen scattered MLB action in six seasons. He had appeared in a dozen games this year, logging eight singles and four walks in thirty trips to the plate.

During his time as a professional, Petit has mostly appeared at shortstop. But he has ample experience at second and third base as well, and has also appeared in the corner outfield.

Twins To Sign Matt Belisle

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10:13am: It’s a MLB deal for Belisle, per LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune (via Twitter), so the club will have some other roster maneuvering to make way for the addition.

9:37am: Veteran righty Matt Belisle will remain in the American League Central after being released by the Indians, with reports indicating he’ll join the Twins. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press tweeted the connection, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweeting an agreement is indeed in place.

Details of the new arrangement are not yet known. The Twins’ bullpen has not exactly dominated, but also does not have glaring weaknesses in its middle-relief ranks, so it’s not immediately clear whether and when Belisle will get a shot at returning to the majors.

Belisle, who’s now 38 years of age, spent the 2017 season with the Minnesota organization, so he’s certainly a familiar face. Indeed, he even recorded nine saves for the team last year. That was part of a remarkable mid-season turn for the veteran, who carried a miserable 8.59 ERA through 22 innings but worked to a 1.41 ERA with 36 strikeouts against eight walks over his final 38 1/3 frames on the year.

Despite that strong finish, Belisle settled for a minor-league deal and had to battle for a job with the Cleveland organization in camp. He cracked the roster, but managed only four strikeouts while allowing six earned runs in 10 1/3 innings to begin the season. After being released and re-signed, Belisle has been more effective at Triple-A, but evidently did not show enough to interest the Indians in keeping him.

Indians Release Matt Belisle

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The Indians’ top affiliate has announced that righty Matt Belisle was given his unconditional release. He had been pitching with the Columbus Clippers since signing a minors deal in mid-May.

Belisle, who just turned 38, had opened the season in the MLB pen for the Indians after turning in a solid overall effort last year with the Twins. He was designated for assignment just over a month into the season, though, after surrendering six earned runs on nine hits in 10 1/3 innings.

In some regards, Belisle has produced similar results in an identical number of frames since reporting to Triple-A. While he has surrendered five earned on ten hits, though, the underlying numbers are much more promising. After managing only four strikeouts during his time in the majors this year, Belisle has recorded an 11:1 K/BB mix for Columbus.

It is not immediately clear whether Belisle had an opt-out opportunity or otherwise requested his release. Based only upon his recent track record and showing, however, it seems reasonable to guess he’ll land in a spot where he’ll have a clear chance at returning to the majors.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/11/18

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Here are Monday’s agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public)…

  • The Athletics have a deal in place with second-rounder Jameson Hannah, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He’ll take home a $1.8MM bonus, a fair bit north of the $1,414,200 allocation that came with the 50th overall selection. Coming into the draft, MLB.com was by far the most bullish outlet on Hannah, grading the Dallas Baptist product as the 32nd-best player available. He’s said to possess outstanding speed, some decent power projection, and a solid hit tool at the plate along with the chops to play center.

Earlier Updates

  • The Cardinals agreed to terms with Wake Forest right-hander Griffin Roberts on a $1,664,200 bonus — the full slot value of his No. 43 selection — per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter). Opinions on Roberts were somewhat split, with Baseball America most favorably ranking him 47th in the class, while Fangraphs pegged him 84th overall. Reports on him praise Roberts for possessing one of the best sliders of any amateur in the country, but there’s also quite a bit of uncertainty as to whether he can be a starter at the professional level or if he’ll be a bullpen piece. He also had control issues prior to the 2018 season.
  • MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets that the Angels are in agreement with second-round pick Jeremiah Jackson on a $1,196,500 bonus that represents a full-slot signing. Law’s ranking of Jackson as the No. 23 prospect in the class was the most aggressive, as he wrote that while Jackson was unlikely to be the first high school shortstop off the board, he was perhaps the most promising. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs write that Jackson’s stock soared once he began wearing glasses and immediately began raking. McDaniel and Longenhagen note that opposing teams simply opted to intentionally walk Jackson in 11 of his final 13 plate appearances in high school and peg him as a potential everyday third baseman.
  • In a fairly sizable over-slot signing, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets the Indians agreed to a $900K bonus with sixth-rounder Raynel Delgado, whose No. 193 overall selection came with a value of $235,600. The switch-hitting prep infielder out of Florida has impressed scouts with his bat speed and hit tool from both sides of the dish, but questions about his defense and a commitment to Florida International pushed him down the board a bit. BA ranked him 83rd, touting the potential for plus power from both sides of the dish. Callis and Mayo peg him as a potential offensive-minded second or third baseman down the line.

Dipoto On Mariners’ Plans Once Cano Returns

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The eighty-game suspension of Robinson Cano created an interesting situation for the Mariners, who have already responded in part by shifting Dee Gordon to second base and acquiring Denard Span. But more moves are anticipated for the surprising AL West leaders, with Cano’s return playing into the calculus, as GM Jerry Dipoto discussed with ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.

Lest there be any doubt, Dipoto made clear that Cano won’t simply be handed his regular job at second when he’s eligible to be activated. While the club sees Cano as “perhaps the biggest acquisition of anybody at the deadline,” per Dipoto, it’s also cognizant of the fact that he isn’t going to be eligible for a hopeful postseason berth due to his ban.

Since the M’s will be using Gordon at second if they crack the playoffs, he’ll need to spend a good bit of time there late in the regular season. That could set the stage for some sort of “time-share,” says Dipoto, who also notes that the plans will “be dictated by where we are in the standings.” Presumably, that could mean leaning on Cano more if it’s necessary to squeeze out every last win — which certainly may be the order of the day given the level of top-level competition in the divisional and Wild Card races.

Dipoto acknowledged that there’s still quite a lot of ground to cover before the team can begin sketching out postseason lineup cards. As he put it, “First, we have to continue to play well. If we start to get too far ahead of ourselves in allocating playing time in late August and September as we sit here in June, that’s probably not the wisest thing to do.”

That said, the plans for Cano and Gordon have implications for the team’s deadline planning. It’s certainly possible that Cano could spend time at first base, where the M’s have received middling production. Perhaps that would leave the team free to focus its resources — including the untapped portion of the money saved on Cano’s forfeited salary — on boosting its pitching staff more than filling out the lineup. While the organization would still need to have a plan in place for managing a Cano-less postseason, that general approach might maximize its chances of making it to the dance in a top-heavy American League.

Cardinals Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Nolan Gorman

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The Cardinals have reached agreement on a bonus with first-round draft pick Nolan Gorman, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). If and when the pact is finalized, the nineteenth overall draft pick will receive a full-slot bonus of $3,231,700.

Gorman, a high-school third baseman from Arizona, was widely ranked as one of the fifteen-best prospects entering the draft. His loudest tool is his power at the plate. And it’s not just projection; in Baseball America’s words, Gorman hits the ball “harder than almost anyone in the [draft] class.”

The draw of that pop led prospect hounds — as well as the Cards — to put a lofty draft grade on the left-handed-hitting slugger despite some questions. His pure hitting ability isn’t considered as advanced, though he has excelled against significant velocity. And though he’s said to carry a quality arm, there are plenty of questions as to whether he’ll stay at the hot corner in the long run.

Notably, multiple outlets — including BA and Fangraphs — observed that Gorman has become stiffer at the plate and in the field of late, adding to the worries. These concerns obviously weren’t that pressing, though, as the 18-year-old still landed in the middle of the first round. As ESPN.com’s Keith Law explained it, “if he hits enough just to get to the power, it won’t really matter where he plays” in the field.

Phillies To Sign First-Round Pick Alec Bohm

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MONDAY: Bohm’s agreement is “done,” Heyman tweets, and will come in at $5.85MM.

FRIDAY: The Phillies have agreed to a bonus amount with top draft choice Alec Bohm, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). When the deal is finalized, Bohm is expected to receive a bonus in the range of $6MM.

Bohm went to Philadelphia with the third overall pick, which comes with a $6,947,500 slot allocation. His agreed-upon amount, then, will leave the club with an additional $1MM or so with which to sign other draftees.

A third baseman from Wichita State, Bohm was widely tabbed as a top-ten draft prospect entering the festivities. The Fangraphs prospect evaluators were highest on him, rating him third on their board, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law graded him at #5 and MLB.com and Baseball America both placed him seventh.

All agree that Bohm is a top-flight hitting prospect, as he delivers both impeccable plate discipline and substantial raw power. There’s some disagreement, though, as to whether he’ll be able to remain at the hot corner in the long run given his big frame. Fangraphs believes he “has the hands, arm, and athleticism to handle third,” while MLB.com is significantly less bullish on his tools in the field.

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