Quick Hits: Prospects, Hoyer, Sabathia
Though Byron Buxton has only played in six games this season due to a wrist injury, the Twins outfielder still sits atop Baseball America’s midseason ranking of the top 50 prospects in the sport. Twenty-two of the 30 Major League teams have at least one player on the list, and the Cubs stand out with three players in the top seven — Kris Bryant at #2, the newly-acquired Addison Russell at #5 and Javier Baez at #7.
Here’s some news as we kick off the final week before the All-Star break…
- Jed Hoyer discussed several Cubs topics with David Kaplan and David Haugh on their podcast this morning, including how the general manager believes the offseason will be a busy one for his team. “I expect us to be far more active this winter than last winter,” Hoyer said. “We have money to spend and I expect teams looking for offense to call us.” (Hat tip to Kaplan’s Twitter page.)
- C.C. Sabathia‘s career is at a crossroads with the news that the veteran lefty might require microfracture surgery on his right knee. Given Sabathia’s declining numbers and 2017 vesting option, ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider subscription needed) wonders if the Yankees would be better off if Sabathia retired.
- The week’s minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
- While the A’s are seemingly going all-in with the Jeff Samardzija/Jason Hammel trade, Giants GM Brian Sabean could see upgrades as a lost cause given how his team has struggled recently, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Shea opines that Sabean isn’t keen on trading prospects for 2014 given that he’ll have a number of roster holes to fill next season thanks to possibly departing free agents.
Rockies Links: Cuddyer, De La Rosa, Tulo
Here’s the latest out of the Mile High City…
- Michael Cuddyer hasn’t spoken to the Rockies about a contract extension, though he tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that he would certainly listen to such an offer. “I love it here….I like [the] guys, I like the organization and I like everything about it. It would definitely be one of the tops on my list,” Cuddyer said. The veteran is currently hoping for a good diagnosis on his shoulder injury and hopes he can return to action before the end of the season. Cuddyer is set to be a free agent this winter.
- Jorge de la Rosa is another pending Rockies free agent who could be traded, though could re-sign with Colorado this winter, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman notes. Heyman ranks de la Rosa on the low side of his latest trade value stock watch piece, but the southpaw bounced back from a tough June with a quality start and win over the Dodgers on Saturday.
- With Troy Tulowitzki healthy and producing at an MVP-type level, Fangraphs’ Mike Petriello argues that it’s time for the Rockies to trade their superstar. Colorado’s hopes of contending in the near future look shaky at best, Petriello opines, so there’s no point in keeping Tulowitzki around on a losing team.
Dodgers To Sign Roger Bernadina
The Dodgers have agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Roger Bernadina, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo reports. Bernadina, a client of the All Bases Covered agency, chose to sign with L.A. after receiving offers from multiple other teams.
Bernadina, 30, chose to become a free agent when he refused an outright assignment from the Reds two weeks ago. He signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati during the offseason and posted a .489 OPS over 71 PA, continuing the struggles at the plate that plagued him in 2013. The Dodgers will be Bernadina’s fourth franchise in a two-season span, along with the Reds, Phillies and Nationals.
Astros To Sign Ronny Rafael
The Astros have agreed to sign Dominican outfielder Ronny Rafael to a contract with a $1.5MM bonus, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter link). The 20-year-old ranked 20th on MLB.com’s list of top 30 international prospects, while he checked in at 25th on Baseball America’s top-30 list.
A 6’0″, 177-pound product of Santo Domingo, the MLB.com scouting report notes that “some scouts believe Rafael is the perfect mix of power, speed and football-type athleticism” with plus speed and aggressive base-running, the ability to play any of the three outfield positions and good raw power. BA’s scouting report is a little more pessimistic, calling Rafael a “strength-based tools guy who’s still learning feel for the game,” and “a free swinger whose pitch recognition needs work, so his offensive profile projects to be power over OBP.”
Rafael is the third international prospect to sign a seven-figure deal with the Astros, following their $1MM contracts with Franklin Perez and Miguel Sierra. Houston has room to be aggressive since they have the highest international bonus pool of any team in MLB.
AL East Notes: Price, Burnett, McCarthy, Breslow
With 10 wins in their last 12 games, the Rays have escaped the AL East basement and added another wrinkle to the David Price trade rumors. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times outlines, it still makes a lot of sense for the Rays to deal Price, given that the club needs to replenish its minor league stock and the Jeff Samardzija/Jason Hammel trade only increases Price’s value as the best starter available. On the other hand, the Rays have already invested a record payroll into this year’s team and they could still make a comeback in a weak AL East, then wait until the offseason to explore trading Price.
Here’s some more from around the AL East…
- “The Yankees don’t have a strong interest in” reacquiring A.J. Burnett, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Burnett is a logical trade candidate if the Phillies decide to sell, though the veteran has a partial no-trade clause in his contract.
- Brandon McCarthy‘s tendency to allow home runs and grounders might be a problem given Yankee Stadium’s small dimensions and the Yankees‘ poor infield defense, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily News still feels the Bombers made a good move in acquiring the righty from the Diamondbacks. McCarthy’s peripherals indicate that he’s due to pitch better in the second half, and even if he’s only average, Martino still considers that an upgrade over the struggling Vidal Nuno.
- Before dealing for Rich Hill, the Angels showed some interest in acquiring Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow but felt that Breslow’s stuff had declined since last year, ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes reports. Breslow posted a 1.81 ERA (though a 4.37 xFIP) over 59 2/3 relief innings for the Sox in 2013 but has struggled this season, managing only a 5.04 ERA and almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (21) over 30 1/3 innings. The southpaw is also averaging just 87.8 mph on his fastball, down significantly from his 89.9 mph average last year.
- Also from Edes’ piece, he lists several Red Sox veterans who could be traded this summer now that Boston is on the brink of falling out of contention.
- While it may not seem likely Jon Lester and the Red Sox will work out a new contract before Lester hits free agency, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reminds us that Cole Hamels and the Phillies were in a similar situation two years ago and agreed on a midseason extension. Lester has been unwilling to negotiate during the year for fear of distractions, though it was recently reported that he would be open to hearing an offer if it led to a quick signing process. (One would think he’d be very quick to agree if the Sox presented Lester with the six-year/$144MM deal the Phillies gave Hamels, though I strongly doubt Boston would offer that much.)
- The Blue Jays have done a poor job of drafting and developing position players over the last decade-plus, Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun writes, a problem that has been underscored by the lack of depth available to fill in for several injured Jays regulars.
Cubs Notes: Russell, Castro, Mets
The Cubs dominated headlines over the weekend by trading Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Athletics, and here’s the latest buzz around Wrigleyville…
- James Russell‘s name was “heard very often” as a trade possibility this weekend, Peter Gammons tweets. With Chicago in seller mode, Russell’s 2.22 ERA would definitely attract teams looking for a left-handed bullpen arm, though his 4.45 xFIP suggests he has been greatly helped by a .209 BABIP and an 82.6% strand rate this year. Russell has also posted reverse splits this season by pitching much better against right-handed hitters, as opposed to his usual dominance over left-handed batters. Russell, 28, is pitching on a one-year, $1.775MM contract and is arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter. The southpaw also drew a lot of interest during last year’s trade deadline and was close to being dealt to the Braves.
- A member of the Mets organization described Starlin Castro as “a perfect match” for their club, John Harper of the New York Daily News reports. Addison Russell‘s acquisition makes the Cubs even deeper at shortstop and Castro seems like a logical trade candidate, while Harper feels the Mets have the young pitchers necessary to swing a deal. Harper suggests Zack Wheeler and a minor league leaguer could interest the Cubs, though the Mets would balk at moving Wheeler and Jacob deGrom, or top prospect Noah Syndergaard.
- Newsday’s David Lennon, however, doesn’t see the Mets rushing to acquire any major pieces this month, let alone for Castro. In regards to the Cubs shortstop, the Mets would have issues taking on Castro’s contract and one New York official brought up Castro’s somewhat low on-base percentages as a cause for concern.
- The Cubs’ focus on amassing position player depth in their minor league system stands contrary to the Cardinals’ long-standing strategy of developing as many young pitchers as possible, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
Quick Hits: Headley, Russell, Cubs, Rockies, McCarthy
The Blue Jays and Padres continue to discuss a Chase Headley trade, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. His colleague Ken Rosenthal adds that some within the Jays organization think that the team’s most acute need is a hitter, rather than a starting pitcher. In late June, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Blue Jays had interest in Headley and that the Padres would be willing to deal him. Here are more notes from around baseball.
- The Cubs dealt Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel early in the trading season, and for a package based around a position player, because Addison Russell was too good to pass on, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes. “There was no pitcher available even close to the caliber of player that Addison Russell is,” says team president Theo Epstein.
- The Cubs now have a top-notch collection of hitting prospects, but don’t have nearly as much pitching. They believe, however, that they can use that to their advantage, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. It’s hard to find hitters in today’s low-offense environment, and the Cubs have plenty of them. “If you look at the way the game is going, the batter-pitcher dynamic has shifted in recent years dramatically in favor of the pitcher,” says Epstein. “So there are more effective pitchers out there right now than there are position players.” The Cubs also feel they can compensate for their lack of pitching by acquiring a top-of-the-rotation starter within the next couple of years. Epstein also seems to allude to the possibility that the Cubs will make trades for pitching in the future.
- A pair of Rockies are making their 2014 debuts with rookie-level Grand Junction, Patti Arnold of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports (Twitter links). Former Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt, who’s working his way back from an elbow injury, pitched a scoreless inning today, striking out one and walking one. Also, Kyle Freeland, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, will make his pro debut on Wednesday.
- The Diamondbacks placed now-Yankees pitcher Brandon McCarthy on waivers six to eight weeks ago, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. That means anyone could have claimed him and assumed the remainder of his $9MM salary for 2014. No one bit.
- Red Sox first-round pick Michael Kopech will be represented by MVP Sports Group, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets.
Cafardo On Bryant, Russell, Twins, Peavy, Mets
Cubs executive Jason McLeod sees flashes of Troy Glaus in top prospect Kris Bryant, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. “Definitely 40-home run power,” says McLeod. “There’ll be some strikeouts, but he has a great eye at the plate. He’ll take his share of walks and work the count.” Bryant, last year’s second overall draft pick, continues to dominate after having been promoted to Triple-A Iowa, hitting .364/.432/.773 in 74 plate appearances there. Here’s more from Cafardo.
- One reason Addison Russell made sense for the Cubs in the Jeff Samardzija deal, Cafardo suggests, is that Russell is unlikely to stick at shortstop, meaning that he won’t be blocked by Starlin Castro and/or Javier Baez.
- The Twins‘ best trade chips could include Josh Willingham and Kendrys Morales, Cafardo writes. Willingham could make sense for the Red Sox or Royals.
- Some NL teams could show interest in starter Jake Peavy if the Red Sox are willing to eat some of the remainder of his 2014 salary.
- Daniel Murphy could make sense for the Giants if the Mets decide to deal him. AL East teams could have interest in Bartolo Colon, and the Mets might be able to get at least some talent in return if they elect to trade him. The Mets are trying to decide if they can make enough noise in the second half to keep players like Murphy and Colon, Cafardo writes.
2014 All-Star Game Rosters
Here are the 2014 MLB All-Star rosters. They include three players who signed one-year contracts this offseason in Nelson Cruz, Kurt Suzuki and Francisco Rodriguez, along with a minor-league signee in Pat Neshek. Also included are a number of key 2014-15 free agents, including Max Scherzer and Jon Lester.
AL Starters
1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Derek Jeter, 3B Josh Donaldson, C Matt Wieters, OF Jose Bautista, OF Mike Trout, OF Adam Jones, DH Nelson Cruz
C Salvador Perez will start in placed of the injured Wieters.
AL Pitchers
Dellin Betances, Mark Buehrle, Yu Darvish, Sean Doolittle, Felix Hernandez, Greg Holland, Scott Kazmir, Jon Lester, Glen Perkins, David Price, Max Scherzer, Masahiro Tanaka
AL Reserves
Jose Abreu, Alexei Ramirez, Jose Altuve, Adrian Beltre, Michael Brantley, Yoenis Cespedes, Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gordon, Brandon Moss, Derek Norris, Perez, Kurt Suzuki, Victor Martinez
AL Final Vote Candidates
Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Rick Porcello, Garrett Richards, Dallas Keuchel
NL Starters
1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chase Utley, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Aramis Ramirez, C Yadier Molina, OF Andrew McCutchen, OF Carlos Gomez, OF Yasiel Puig
NL Pitchers
Madison Bumgarner, Aroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, Francisco Rodriguez, Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Pat Neshek, Tyson Ross, Jeff Samardzija, Julio Teheran, Adam Wainwright, Tony Watson, Jordan Zimmermann
NL Reserves
Charlie Blackmon, Matt Carpenter, Starlin Castro, Todd Frazier, Freddie Freeman, Dee Gordon, Josh Harrison, Jonathan Lucroy, Devin Mesoraco, Daniel Murphy, Hunter Pence, Giancarlo Stanton
NL Final Vote Candidates
Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Rendon, Casey McGehee, Justin Morneau, Justin Upton
Since Samardzija now pitches for an AL team, he will be considered an All-Star but will not be active for the game.
Draft Signings: Gage Hinsz
We’ll keep track of today’s draft signings here.
- The Pirates have agreed to terms with 11th-round pick Gage Hinsz on a $580K deal, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. $480K of Hinsz’s bonus will count against the Pirates’ bonus pool. Hinsz, a high school pitcher from Montana, was committed to Oregon State. The Pirates have now agreed to terms with all of their draft picks through the first 22 rounds.