Tigers Select Jim Adduci
The Tigers announced following today’s game that first baseman/outfielder Jim Adduci will have his contract selected from Triple-A Toledo. Young catcher Grayson Greiner is being optioned to Toledo in his place, and the Tigers are shifting Miguel Cabrera from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL in order to open up a roster spot. Cabrera underwent season-ending surgery on a ruptured biceps tendon earlier this summer.
Adduci, 33, will return for a second stint with the Tigers after hitting .241/.323/.398 with a homer, six doubles and two triples for them through 93 plate appearances last season. That marked the first MLB action for Adduci since 2014 with the Rangers, as he spent the 2015-16 seasons enjoying a productive run with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization.
This season, Adduci turned in one of the most productive Triple-A campaigns of his six-year career at that level. Through 296 plate appearances, he’s hitting .309/.358/.474 with seven homers, 22 doubles, a triple and eight steals (in nine tries). He’ll give the Tigers a left-handed option both in the outfield and at first base, which could give John Hicks some additional opportunities to get back behind the dish — especially with Greiner being optioned to Toledo.
Twins Reinstate Jorge Polanco, Option Byron Buxton, Designate Ryan LaMarre
2:56pm: In addition to the previously reported moves, the Twins announced that they’ve optioned lefty Adalberto Mejia to Triple-A. More interesting, though, is the fact that they’ve reinstated Byron Buxton from his rehab assignment and also optioned him to Rochester. That means that two of the centerpieces of the Twins’ young core — Sano and Buxton — have both been optioned to the minors just one season after seemingly establishing themselves at the big league level.
It’s been a tough season for Buxton, admittedly. The 24-year-old went on the disabled list early in the season due to a severe bout of migraines — similar to the issue that sent New York’s Brandon Drury to the DL. While playing on a minor league rehab assignment from that issue, Buxton fouled a ball into his foot and sustained a broken big toe. The Twins made the curious decision to bring him back a couple of weeks later despite the fact that the toe was still healing and without sending him back out on a rehab assignment.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Buxton was dreadful at the plate under those circumstances; in 51 plate appearances between DL stints, he hit just .122/.140/.163. Buxton has yet to find his swing in Rochester, albeit through just 11 games on a new rehab assignment. But the extent of his struggles, after a prolonged development period in which there were doubts he’d ever realize the potential he showed last season, have to be of fairly significant concern — especially when juxtaposed with the struggles of Sano to this point in the season as well.
Given the fact that Minnesota has received no on-field value from the combination of Sano, Buxton and still-rehabbing righty Ervin Santana, it’s not exactly surprising that the Twins are nine games back from the Indians in the AL Central division.
2:32pm: The Twins are set to reinstate Jorge Polanco from his 80-game suspension following a failed PED test, as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported earlier today that righty Zack Littell would also be returning to the Majors and will work in a relief role for the time being (Twitter link).
In order to clear a spot on what is currently a full 40-man roster to accommodate Polanco’s activation, the Twins are set to designate outfielder Ryan LaMarre for assignment, Neal further reports (via Twitter). They’ll need to make a second move to recall Littell.
Polanco, 25 on Thursday, was expected to serve as the Twins’ everyday shortstop after a strong second-half showing in 2017. The former top 100 prospect got off to a poor start to the season last year but slashed .316/.377/.553 with 10 homers, 15 doubles and a pair of triples in his final 234 plate appearances in August and September.
Polanco was plagued by a dismal .239 BABIP through the first four months of the 2017 season, and his improvement in the final two months correlates nicely with a fairly significant drop in his chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone. However, an 80-game suspension fresh off a breakout finish to the season will undoubtedly lead to plenty of skeptics about his ability to maintain that output. He’ll hope to retake an everyday role in the Twins’ infield and prove that he’s able to repeat that output moving forward.
With Miguel Sano still in the minors following a terrible run to open the season, there should be ample opportunity for Polanco to earn his way back into the lineup. Minnesota has been relying on Eduardo Escobar at third base with Sano in Fort Myers, and while Ehire Adrianza has been a surprisingly productive hitter of late, he’s a soon-to-be 29-year-old defensive specialist without much of a track record of offense. Polanco should figure into the mix prominently in the early going from his return. And, depending on whether the Twins are able to right the ship over the next four weeks, further at-bats could become all the easier to come by; both Escobar and Brian Dozier are free agents at season’s end.
As for LaMarre, the 30-year-old has batted .263/.321/.313 through 109 plate appearances with Minnesota, logging plenty of time in center field with Byron Buxton on the shelf. LaMarre has fanned at a 30.3 percent clip in the Majors, however, and he’s currently in Triple-A Rochester despite the fact that Buxton is not yet back from his rehab assignment.
LaMarre joined the Twins on a minor league pact this winter and served as a useful depth piece given the minor league options he had remaining, so the Twins likely would prefer to see him clear waivers and remain in the organization. Having previously been outrighted, though, LaMarre will have the option of electing free agency even if he does clear waivers.
Athletics Outright Liam Hendriks
The Athletics announced Monday that right-hander Liam Hendriks has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. He’s been sent outright to Triple-A Nashville. The 29-year-old Hendriks technically has enough MLB service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency (three-plus years), but because he’s still shy of five years of service, doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of this season’s $1.9MM salary. Assuming he accepts, he’ll be eligible to elect free agency at season’s end unless he’s first added back to the 40-man roster.
Hendriks was, at one point, a promising prospect in the Twins’ minor league system but didn’t pan out in Minnesota or in a brief stint with the Royals. The Blue Jays picked him up off waivers, and while he struggled in his first run with the Jays, he turned in a dominant 2015 season out of the Toronto bullpen. The Jays flipped him to the A’s that offseason in exchange for Jesse Chavez — and Hendriks went on to enjoy another pair of solid seasons in the Oakland ‘pen.
Prior to the 2018 season, Hendriks had turned in a three-year run with a 3.63 ERA and an outstanding 220-to-48 K/BB ratio through 193 1/3 innings between the Jays and the A’s. He missed more than a month with a strained groin earlier this year, though, and he’s posted an unsightly 7.36 ERA with 12 strikeouts against seven walks in 11 innings when healthy. Hendriks didn’t receive much of a leash when returning from the DL, and he was tagged for four runs in his final appearance before being designated. He’ll now look to rebuild his stock in Nashville with the hope of earning another look in manager Bob Melvin’s bullpen later this season.
Braves Select Michael Reed, Place Peter Moylan On DL
The Braves announced a series of roster moves Monday, selecting the contract of outfielder Michael Reed from Triple-A Gwinnett and optioning right-hander Matt Wisler to Gwinnett as well. Atlanta also placed Peter Moylan on the 10-day DL due to a right forearm strain and recalled righty Evan Phillips from Gwinnett in his place.
It’ll be the first MLB action for Reed, 25, since a brief look with the Brewers in 2015-16. He joined the Atlanta organization this past offseason and has turned plenty of heads since doing so, batting a combined .337/.460/.535 with nine homers and 21 doubles in an even 300 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Reed’s work in Gwinnett has been especially impressive, as he’s raked at a .369/.480/.592 pace.
While the power he’s shown is encouraging, Reed has somehow managed to maintain an unfathomable .532 BABIP through his 125 plate appearances in Gwinnett — a substantial step forward from the still-unsustainable .426 mark he displayed in 175 PAs in Double-A. Given those figures and the fact that he’s whiffed at a 29 percent clip in Triple-A this season, there’s reason to temper expectations. That said, he also presents a right-handed-hitting complement to outfielders Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis — and one who can capably handle all three outfield spots for that matter.
Moylan, 38, was enjoying a strong season up through mid-June, but he’s been clobbered for seven earned runs on eight hits (three homers) and four walks with just two strikeouts in his past 4 2/3 innings — a span of eight appearances. The Aussie sidearmer is typically deadly against right-handed opponents, but righties have had no trouble with him in 2018, hitting .315/.405/.493 through 86 plate appearances. It’s not clear at this time how long Moylan is expected to be sidelined, though forearm strains come with a fairly ominous connotation.
In Moylan’s place, Phillips will get his first look at the big league level. While the Braves technically selected his contract for the first time in June, he was optioned back to Triple-A before ever appearing in a Major League game. He’s been superb in Gwinnett so far this season, averaging 13.5 strikeouts against 3.3 walks per nine innings pitched, en route to a 2.09 ERA through 38 2/3 frames out of the ‘pen.
Red Sox Select William Cuevas
The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander William Cuevas from Triple-A Pawtucket. In a pair of corresponding roster moves, right-hander Justin Haley was optioned to Pawtucket, while righty Carson Smith was moved from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL. Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston first reported that Cuevas was having his contract selected (Twitter link), while MassLive’s Chris Cotillo tweeted that Haley would be optioned out.
Cuevas, 27, will be headed to the Majors for his second stint with the Sox. He originally debuted with Boston back in 2016, tossing five innings in a trio of relief appearances, and he pitched a third of an inning in 2017 with the Tigers. In all, Cuevas’ extremely minimal big league results haven’t been pretty, as he’s been tagged for six runs on eight hits and six walks with four strikeouts in his 5 1/3 frames of work.
That said, he comes with a respectable Triple-A track record and has pitched fairly well in Pawtucket so far in 2018. Through 86 1/3 innings, all coming out of the rotation, Cuevas has a 3.65 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 and 1.04 HR/9. He’ll give the Sox some length in the bullpen after a raucous weekend series against the Yankees in which the two contenders for the AL East division title traded blowout victories. The Red Sox came out on the losing end of that series and relied heavily on Haley, who tossed 4 2/3 innings of relief between Boston’s two losses, totaling 42 pitches in each appearance.
Reds Acquire Lorenzo Cedrola From Red Sox For International Bonus Pool Space
The Red Sox have traded minor league outfielder Lorenzo Cedrola to the Reds in exchange for international bonus pool space, both teams announced. Neither announcement revealed the size of the pool allotment changing hands, though international bonus allotments must be traded in increments of $250K.
For the Reds, it’s not a surprise to see them trading away some pool space. The Cincinnati organization is still in the maximum penalty bracket from the previous collective bargaining agreement, meaning they can’t sign any single international amateur for a bonus of greater than $300K. Boston is under no such exemption and will use the additional funds to bolster their haul on the 2018-19 international signing market, which opened today and will run through June 15, 2019.
Cedrola, 20, signed with the Red Sox in February 2015 out of Venezuela and has since risen to the Class-A South Atlantic League, where he’s currently repeating the level. He’s hitting .318/.350/427 through 229 plate appearances in his second run through that level, and while he hasn’t homered, he’s hit 17 doubles and three triples along the way. Cedrola has minimal power but has swiped 65 bases (in 91 tries) through 262 minor league games.
Baseball America rated Cedrola as the Red Sox’ No. 24 prospect in the 2016-17 offseason, calling him an “excellent athlete and plus runner” while also noting his physical limitations and lack of home run power. Cedrola rarely walks but has strong contact skills — career 4.3 percent walk rate and 11.9 percent strikeout rate — and BA notes that with his speed and average arm, he has the profile of at least a reserve outfielder.
Notable International Prospect Signings
With the 2018-19 international signing period kicking off today, there will be dozens of six- and seven-figure bonuses handed out to teenage prospects, primarily out of Latin America, filtering in throughout the day today. Many of these have been in the works for quite some time, as is reflected by the fact that most of the top players’ destinations and signing bonuses have been previously reported/projected (and by the fact that the top agreements will all be reported in one swift avalanche today).
We’ll keep track of the notable National League signings here and the notable American League signings in a separate post. Note that you can read up on each of these players with the dedicated international coverage available from Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required), Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com and Kiley McDaniel & Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, each of whom has scouting info on the top echelon of international amateurs. Badler is also tracking the all of the signings from all 30 teams.
Onto some of the more notable signings…
Tigers Place Shane Greene, Leonys Martin On Disabled List
10:00am: Beck tweets that Joe Jimenez will serve as the Tigers’ closer while Greene is out.
9:42am: The Tigers placed a pair of notable trade chips on the 10-day disabled list, per a club announcement. Closer Shane Greene is going on the shelf due to a strained right shoulder, while center fielder Leonys Martin is dealing with a strained left hamstring. In a pair of corresponding moves, Detroit has reinstated lefty Daniel Stumpf from the 10-day DL and recalled outfielder Mikie Mahtook from Triple-A Toledo.
It’s not immediately clear how long the 29-year-old Greene will be expected to miss. There’d been no previous word of a shoulder issue for Greene, making this morning’s announcement something of a surprise. If he proves to be out for anything longer than a month, that’d mostly eliminate the chances of Greene being moved this summer, as he’s unlikely to clear trade waivers next month given his affordable salary and remaining two years of club control.
Greene is in his first full season as the Tigers’ closer and has handled himself well for the most part, though he’d given up a total of three runs over his past three appearances (perhaps being negatively impacted by his shoulder along the way). Overall, he’s posted a 4.03 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.66 HR/9 and a 43.4 percent ground-ball rate. While he’s clearly been too homer-prone so far in 2018, Greene’s 19.1 K-BB% is the best of his career, and his fastball velocity has held steady just a hair shy of 95 mph.
However, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets, manager Ron Gardenhire told the media today that Greene revealed yesterday that his shoulder has been bothering him for “awhile.” Gardenhire notes that Greene’s velocity dropped substantially Sunday — as does appear to be the case — prompting the DL placement. He’ll visit a doctor for further evaluation in the coming days.
As for Martin, word that he was DL-bound broke yesterday after he exited Sunday’s game early. As Beck writes, Martin has been playing through hamstring discomfort since a DL stint back in May. After exiting yesterday’s game in too much pain to continue playing, Martin essentially “asked us to put him on the DL,” manager Ron Gardenhire told Beck and other reporters. Martin says his hope is to return to the club in 10 days, though given the proximity of the All-Star break, perhaps the Tigers will hold him out a bit longer in order to afford him with a few days of extra rest.
MLB Weekend Roster Roundup: Correa, Gray, Hellickson, Velasquez
ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(June 29th-July 1st)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: 1B Christian Walker, RP Silvino Bracho, RP Jimmie Sherfy
- Placed on 10-Day DL: INF Deven Marrero (strained oblique)
- Optioned: Jimmie Sherfy
- Sherfy was optioned on Friday, recalled on Saturday and optioned on Sunday.
- ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Max Fried
- Fried pitched 6.2 shutout innings with 11 K on Saturday
- Designated for assignment: OF Peter Bourjos
- Promoted: SP Max Fried
- CHICAGO CUBS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: RP Brian Duensing (shoulder fatigue)
- Promoted: RP Dillon Maples
- COLORADO ROCKIES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: OF Raimel Tapia
- Tapia played CF and batted 7th on Sunday.
- Optioned: SP Jon Gray
- Gray, the Rockies’ Opening Day starter, was optioned to Triple-A.
- Promoted: OF Raimel Tapia
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Optioned: SP Walker Buehler
- Buehler will make his next start in High-A.
- Promoted: RP JT Chargois
- Optioned: SP Walker Buehler
- MIAMI MARLINS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Sandy Alcantara, SP Pablo Lopez
- Alcantara made his Marlins’ debut on Friday (5 IP, ER)
- Lopez made his MLB debut on Saturday (6 IP, 2 ER)
- Optioned: RP Ben Meyer
- Promoted: SP Sandy Alcantara, SP Pablo Lopez
- MILWAUKEE BREWERS | Depth Chart
- Optioned: SS Orlando Arcia
- Brad Miller played SS and batted 1st on Saturday and Sunday.
- Promoted: RP Aaron Wilkerson
- Optioned: SS Orlando Arcia
- NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Corey Oswalt
- Oswalt made his 1st career MLB start on Friday (2.2 IP, 6 ER)
- Seth Lugo was moved to the bullpen.
- Optioned: RP Gerson Bautista
- Promoted: SP Corey Oswalt
- PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Vince Velasquez (forearm contusion)
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Pat Neshek
- Promoted: RP Mark Leiter Jr., RP Jake Thompson
- Optioned: RP Zac Curtis, RP Hector Neris
- PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Chad Kuhl (strained forearm)
- Promoted: INF Max Moroff
- SAN DIEGO PADRES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: INF Carlos Asuaje
- Asuaje played 2B and batted 6th on Sunday.
- Designated for assignment: OF Matt Szczur
- Activated from 60-Day DL: INF/OF Allen Cordoba
- Cordoba was optioned to High-A.
- Promoted: INF Carlos Asuaje
- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
- Acquisition: RP Tyler Webb (claimed off waivers from Padres)
- Webb was optioned to Triple-A.
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: SP Alex Reyes
- Acquisition: RP Tyler Webb (claimed off waivers from Padres)
- WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Jeremy Hellickson
- Optioned: RP Sammy Solis
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: 1B Ryan Zimmerman
- Reinstated from Restricted List: C Raudy Read
- Read was optioned to Triple-A.
—
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- BALTIMORE ORIOLES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Paul Fry (contract purchased), RP Ryan Meisinger (contract purchased)
- Optioned: SP Jimmy Yacabonis, RP Yefry Ramirez
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: RP Darren O’Day
- O’Day will undergo season-ending hamstring surgery.
- Designated for assignment: INF Corban Joseph
- Joseph cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A.
- BOSTON RED SOX | Depth Chart
- Added to 25-man roster: INF/OF Steve Pearce
- Pearce played 1B and batted 4th in his Red Sox debut on Friday.
- Optioned: INF/OF Tzu-Wei Lin
- Added to 25-man roster: INF/OF Steve Pearce
- CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Marc Rzepczynski (contract purchased)
- Optioned: SP Adam Plutko
- Released: SP Shawn Morimando
- HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SS Carlos Correa (lower back soreness), retroactive to 6/26.
- Reinstated from Paternity List: 1B/3B Yuli Gurriel
- Gurriel played 3B and batted 3rd on Sunday.
- Promoted: RP Cionel Perez
- Optioned: RP Cionel Perez
- LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: INF Kaleb Cowart
- Optioned: OF Michael Hermosillo
- MINNESOTA TWINS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: C/INF/OF Willians Astudillo (contract purchased), SP Adalberto Mejia
- Astudillo played 3B and batted 6th in his 1st MLB start on Sunday.
- Placed on 7-Day DL: INF/OF Taylor Motter (concussion)
- Optioned: RP Alan Busenitz
- Designated for assignment: SP Felix Jorge
- Promoted: C/INF/OF Willians Astudillo (contract purchased), SP Adalberto Mejia
- NEW YORK YANKEES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: INF Brandon Drury, RP David Hale (contract purchased)
- Drury played 1B and batted 7th on Saturday.
- Optioned: P Luis Cessa, RP Giovanny Gallegos
- Promoted: INF Brandon Drury, RP David Hale (contract purchased)
- TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP/RP Wilmer Font (strained lat)
- Promoted: RP Hunter Wood
- TORONTO BLUE JAYS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: RP Ryan Tepera (elbow inflammation)
- Promoted: INF/OF Darnell Sweeney (contract purchased), RP Jake Petricka
—
FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- CLE: SP Carlos Carrasco will return from the 10-Day DL on Friday July 6th, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- DET: OF Leonys Martin (strained hamstring) will be placed on the 10-Day DL on Monday July 2nd, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive. OF Mikie Mahtook is likely to be recalled from Triple-A.
- LAA: DH Shohei Ohtani and SP Garrett Richards are both likely to return from the 10-Day DL during the team’s upcoming series versus the Mariners (Tuesday July 3rd-Thursday July 5th), according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Richards made a rehab start on Friday. He’s lined up to return on Wednesday.
- MIL: OF Lorenzo Cain expects to return from the 10-Day DL on Wednesday July 4th, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
- MIN: SS Jorge Polanco will be reinstated from the Restricted List on Monday July 2nd, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune.
- OAK: 3B Matt Chapman could return from the 10-Day DL on Tuesday July 3rd, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- PIT: SP Nick Kingham will be recalled from Triple-A on Monday July 2nd, according to Liz Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- STL: OF Dexter Fowler will be placed on the Paternity List and OF Tyler O’Neill will be recalled on Monday July 2nd, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
2018-19 International Signing Period Opens Today
The 2018-19 international signing period kicks off this morning, meaning that from now until next June 15, teams are officially able to begin signing amateur talents from countries outside of the United States and Canada. Prospects aged 16 and up (assuming they turn 16 by Sept. 1 of the current period) are eligible to sign minor league contracts with teams for signing bonuses that fall within the constraints of a league-allotted bonus pool.
Those looking to brush up on the top prospects this class has to offer will want to look at the invaluable work put into the subject by Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required), Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com and Kiley McDaniel & Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs. Badler’s Top 50 ranking has full scouting reports and expected destinations/bonuses for the top free agents in the 2018-19 class, while Sanchez has his own Top 30 with free scouting reports (and likely destinations). McDaniel and Longenhagen have scouting info and projected bonuses/teams on their top 35 prospects.
After all of that — here’s a quick primer on the specifics of the international free agency system.
Unlike the system that was in place from 2012-16, in which teams would routinely shatter their international bonus pools and take two-year signing penalties in exchange for one enormous haul of amateur talent, the system under the 2017-21 collective bargaining agreement contains a hard cap that cannot be exceeded. Teams are still permitted to trade for up to 75 percent of their originally allotted bonus pool, however, and any team is free to trade away as much of its pool as it wishes. International pool allotments must be traded in increments of $250K — unless it includes the last remainder of a team’s pool.
That said, penalties from the previous international signing periods still carry over to the current one. As such, the Athletics, Astros, White Sox, Braves, Cardinals, Nationals, Padres and Reds are all still barred from signing any one player for more than $300K during the current signing period. The Braves, in particular, are facing significant long-term penalties following last November’s punishment for violating international spending guidelines; they’ll be limited to a hard cap of $10K per player in 2019-20 and will be stripped of half their league-allotted bonus pool in the 2020-21 period.
The Competitive Balance lottery that awards 14 teams with additional picks based on market size and total revenue also has an impact in international free agency. The teams that were awarded Competitive Balance picks in Round B (between rounds two and three of the draft) will have the largest bonus pools in 2018-19. Teams that were awarded selections in Competitive Balance Round A (between rounds one and two) will have the second-largest pools.
Beyond that, free agency itself can have an impact. Teams that sign players who have refused a qualifying offer (QO) are subject to forfeitures in their international bonus pool in some instances. Specifically, a club which exceeded the luxury tax threshold in the previous season and also signs a QO free agent surrenders $1MM of its international pool in the following period. Teams that did not exceed the luxury tax but also did not benefit from revenue sharing will forfeit $500K of international pool for each QO free agent signed.
That means that in 2018-19, the Marlins, Athletics*, Rays, Reds*, Brewers and Twins will have the largest base pools — a total of $6,025,400.
The Pirates, Orioles, Padres*, Diamondbacks, Royals, Indians and Rockies all receive bonus pools totaling $5,504,500 for the 2018-19 period.
The Cardinals*, who had a Competitive Balance pick in Round A but also forfeited $500K for signing Greg Holland after he rejected a QO, are the lone team with a pool of $5,004,500.
The Angels, Astros*, Braves*, Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox and Yankees are all allotted with the standard bonus pool of $4,983,500.
The Phillies, too, are in their own tier after spending tier after forfeiting $500K for each of Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta. They’d been allotted the standard bonus pool and, as such, will have a total of $3,983,500 to spend on this year’s class.
* = Team is barred from spending more than $300K on any single signing.
2018-19 international bonus pool amounts were first reported by Baseball America’s Ben Badler back in late March.