MLBPA Investigating Agents’ Roles In Biogenesis
The Major League Baseball Players Association is conducting an investigation to determine the roles of certain agents in last year’s Biogenesis scandal, ESPN’s T.J. Quinn reports. Specifically, Quinn writes, the investigation will look into ACES — who represented 10 Biogenesis clients — and CAA (Ryan Braun‘s agency).
This isn’t the first time that ACES has come under investigation by the MLBPA. Following Melky Cabrera‘s 2012 suspension for PED use, ACES employee Juan Carlos Nunez assisted Cabrera in creating a fake web site in a bizarre attempt to explain the failed drug test. Brothers Seth and Sam Levinson, the founders of ACES, said at the time that although Nunez was certified as an agent, he was a consultant and they were unaware of his actions. Late MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner released a statement at the time that said a “thorough investigation” had been conducted that cleared any ACES principals of involvement with the scam.
This new investigation, Quinn reports, will seek to determine if the Levinson brothers were aware of Nunez’s work with Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch or his involvement in Cabrera’s web site. Quinn adds that any agents who are found to have been complicit or to have violated their duties could lose their certification, though the MLBPA’s agent regulations do allow for lesser penalties.
The investigation is being run by veteran attorney Robert Muse, according to Quinn. He and his team are expected to release a report within a few weeks.
Athletics Designate Jeff Francis For Assignment
The A’s announced (on Twitter) that they have designated left-hander Jeff Francis for assignment and activated fellow lefty Eric O’Flaherty from the disabled list.
The 33-year-old Francis appeared in nine games for the A’s (all relief appearances) and yielded nine runs in 13 1/3 total innings with a 10-to-3 K/BB ratio. The longtime Rockies hurler began the year with the Reds but was claimed off waivers by Oakland back in May. Once a mainstay in Colorado’s rotation, Francis has seen his stock drop since his peak years in 2006-07. The former No. 9 overall pick in the draft has a career 4.95 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate in 1267 1/3 innings.
O’Flaherty will be making his first appearance on Oakland’s active roster after signing a two-year, $7MM contract with the A’s this offseason. The former Brave underwent Tommy John surgery last year and has been on the shelf all season as he recovers. When healthy, O’Flaherty was one of the National League’s best setup men, posting a 1.99 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 249 1/3 innings from 2009-13. He’s lethal against opposing lefties and has typically been solid against right-handed hitters as well, so he will make a nice addition to Oakland’s relief corps.
Mets Haven’t Had Recent Talks On Daniel Murphy
Daniel Murphy‘s name has been featured frequently pages of MLBTradeRumors in recent weeks, but it sounds like he probably won’t be changing uniforms in the next few days. Mets assistant GM John Ricco told Tim Rohan of the New York Times that the club hasn’t had any recent talks on the second baseman.
“We haven’t specifically talked about Dan recently,” Ricco said. “He is one of the more valuable guys we have. He leads the league in hits. He’s settled in as one of the best second basemen in the game, certainly offensively, and is a leader on our team.”
When asked if the Mets were worried about the perception if they traded Murphy, Ricco said, “It depends what the return is,” which Rohan takes to mean that a deal would be better received if they got more immediate help rather than prospects who are a few years away. The 29-year-old is enjoying his best season to date, hitting .300/.351/.421 with seven homers through 83 games.
Ricco also indicated that the Mets have yet to decide if they’ll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. However, comments from GM Sandy Alderson yesterday seemed to indicate that a sell off could be close as he said the next 10-12 days will be vital to that assessment. If they do sell, however, Alderson says that they’re not likely to move left-hander Jon Niese.
Of course, the Mets could instead lock up their second baseman for the long haul. Our own Steve Adams recently looked at what a new deal for Murphy might look like.
Indians Sign Mike Papi
1:14pm: Papi gets a $1.25MM bonus and a $30K scholarship, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish (on Twitter). That’s a little less than the prescribed $1.495MM slot value for the No. 38 pick.
1:10pm: The Indians announced that they have signed their Competitive Balance Round A selection, Mike Papi. The University of Virginia product was taken with the No. 38 overall pick.
Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) and Baseball America both ranked Papi as the 43rd best prospect in this draft. MLB.com was more or less in agreement with that assessment, putting him at No. 45. Baseball America was very complimentary of Papi’s physical strength and noted that scouts give him plus power grades. However, Papi is a below-average runner and so-so athlete who will probably be a better fit at first base than in the outfield, according to BA.
The outfielder/first baseman earned All-America and First-Team All-ACC honors for the second straight year in 2014, leading the team in average, homers and RBI and became the first Cavalier to lead the ACC in home runs since 1978.
White Sox To Release Scott Downs
The White Sox have requested waivers on left-hander Scott Downs for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release, tweets Scott Merkin of MLB.com. The White Sox designated Downs for assignment late last month.
Over 23 2/3 innings for the White Sox, Downs recorded a 6.08 ERA with a better-than-usual 8.4 K/9 clip but an alarmingly high 5.7 BB/9 mark. Still, ERA estimators are kinder to Downs, as he owns a 3.69 FIP, 4.07 xFIP, and 3.96 SIERA.
While his 58.5% strand rate is one mark that looks prime for regression, that is also perhaps a reflection of the fact that he has been less than successful in his LOOGY role. On the other hand, Downs has held opposing left-handed hitters to a .225/.309/.367 mark; his real issue has been with righties, who own a .296/.415/.364 triple-slash against him.
Yankees Designate Dean Anna For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they have designated infielder Dean Anna for assignment. The move will help to make room for the arrival of fellow infielder Zelous Wheeler. Yangervis Solarte has also been optioned to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.
Anna appeared in a dozen games for the Yanks’ varsity squad in April, slashing .136/.200/.318 in 25 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A, where he has hit just .192/.283/.292 in 36 games. Anna’s numbers for the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in 2013 were much stronger when he slashed .331/.410/.482 in 132 games.
You can keep track of Anna and everyone else in DFA limbo with MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.
AL East Notes: Drew, Yankees, McCarthy, Red Sox
In a piece for FOXSports.com, Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron writes that the struggles of Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew might give others pause about following in his footsteps in signing midseason. While many different people have contributed to Boston’s struggles this season, Drew’s futility at the plate is one of the primary reasons for their slide, Cameron writes. Of course, fellow Scott Boras client Kendrys Morales has also been struggling since joining the Twins. More out of the AL East..
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at four pitching trade targets that would make sense for the Yankees. Sherman’s suggestions include old friend Ian Kennedy and Diamondbacks hurler Wade Miley, if he’s made available.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues is scouting the trade market for the Yankees and takes a look at the pitchers the Diamondbacks have to offer. In addition to Miley, Axisa sees right-hander Brandon McCarthy as a possibility for the Bombers. McCarthy is a sabermetrics darling and his advanced numbers show that he’s better than his 5.11 ERA would indicate. On the flipside, his injury history is troubling.
- Because player development is so fickle, things haven’t worked out as planned for the Red Sox, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Of course, the unpredictable nature of it all is the very reason why organizations stockpile so many prospects.
Latest On The Padres’ GM Search
Here’s the latest on the Padres’ search for a new GM to replace Josh Byrnes.
July 3 Updates
- The Padres will interview MLB Senior Vice President for Baseball Operations Kim Ng for the GM job, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported that the former Dodgers and Yankees assistant GM was under consideration for the role.
July 2 Updates
- The Padres will interview Diamondbacks scouting director Ray Montgomery, sources tell Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
July 1 Updates
- San Diego has received permission to interview Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who also runs down some of the known and possible field.
- The club’s current VP of baseball operations, Omar Minaya, has decided not to pursue the job but does wish to stay with the team, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).
June 30 Updates
- The Padres announced that they have interviewed White, tweets MLB.com’s Corey Brock.
- Cubs‘ executive Jason McLeod told reporters, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter links), that he has taken himself out of the running for the Padres GM role. He explained that he was “flattered” to be considered, but wants to stay in Chicago because the team has “a lot of special things going on.”
June 29 Updates
- Red Sox Assistant GM Mike Hazen confirms he will interview for the position, tweets Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.
- Dodgers Vice President of Amateur Scouting Logan White will receive “big time” consideration, tweets the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
- The Padres will interview Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller but not fellow assistant Thad Levine, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The Padres would prefer not to interview two candidates from the same organization.
- Red Sox Assistant GM Mike Hazen has connections to Padres president Mike Dee (the former Red Sox Chief Operating Officer) and could become a strong candidate for the Padres’ GM job, Cafardo reports. Hazen has not yet interviewed, however.
- There has been “a lot of talk” of Diamondbacks president Kevin Towers returning to San Diego, Cafardo reports.
- Cafardo also notes that former Twins, Cubs and Orioles exec Andy MacPhail would have interest in the position if the Padres were interested in him. MacPhail, 61, served as the Orioles’ president of baseball operations from 2007 through 2011.
Edward Creech and Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Frieri, Cubs, Hammel, Twins
As Ernesto Frieri was en route to the Pirates after being traded by the Angels, he ran into a familiar face at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, writes MLB.com’s Tom Singer. “I’m waiting for my next flight, so I just went to a bathroom to wash my face. First thing, I look at this guy washing his hands next to me,” said Frieri, “and I thought, ‘I think I know this guy.’” He was right – that guy was Jason Grilli, the reliever for whom he had been traded hours earlier. Anyone who has been in the colossal O’Hare Airport can appreciate exactly how unlikely this chance meeting was. Here’s more from the AL and NL Central..
- A year and one day ago, the Cubs traded Scott Feldman to the Orioles rather than waiting until the July 31st deadline was closer. This year, while there are plenty of scouts watching the Cubs, General Manager Jed Hoyer isn’t positive that we’ll see a similarly timed move this year. “Last year it really came together,” Hoyer said, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. “Baltimore was so determined to get a starter. You can always tell when teams have a feel for what we’re looking for. Ultimately, sometimes it takes a deadline to make deals. People get a lot more serious with each day that gets closer to the deadline. It probably works both ways. I don’t think you ever go into July thinking you’re going to make deals early, but sometimes it can come together.”
- Meanwhile, the Blue Jays have sent at least ten scouts to watch the Cubs since September and several sources tell Gonzales that they have followed Jason Hammel just as closely as they have followed Jeff Samardzija.
- We saw a bunch of international signings on July 2nd, but Twins VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff says they aren’t in a rush to spend. “Right now the biggest issue is early committing,” Radcliff said, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. “It just doesn’t make sense. You’re talking about 15- and 16-year-olds. You’d think you’d want more time to figure it out and have more people see the players, but people are just throwing their money out there and locking them up earlier and earlier. I think we’re all still figuring it out.”
AL East Notes: Lester, Blue Jays, Hoffman, Yankees
ESPN’s Buster Olney thinks that extension talks between the Red Sox and Jon Lester are “all but over” and the left-hander will hit free agency, he said Wednesday on the WEEI radio. Olney states that if the Sox had approached Lester and offered something like $100MM over five years in Spring Training, a deal may have been reached, but that didn’t happen. The only way for a long-term deal to be reached now, in Olney’s opinion, may be to go the route the Phillies went to extend Cole Hamels in 2012 — offer top-of-the-market value ($140-150MM) on a final midseason offer.
Here’s more on Lester and the AL East…
- Tim Britton of the Providence Journal spoke with Red Sox skipper John Farrell, who said that Lester has been a model example for how to handle a contract year. Lester has kept his contract discussions private and hasn’t created any sort of distraction or tension in the clubhouse, choosing instead to focus on the season at hand, according to Farrell.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons are noncommittal when asked what areas the Jays might seek to upgrade via trade this summer, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Anthopoulos noted that it would be very difficult for a club to acquire anyone from the Jays’ current 25-man roster unless they were acquiring an upgrade at that same position, and he also discussed Brett Lawrie‘s role with the team when he returns from the DL.
- In the video at the top of the previous link, Anthopoulos discussed the signings of top picks Jeff Hoffman and Max Pentecost. Anthopoulos touched on the team’s previous inability to sign first-rounders Tyler Beede and Phil Bickford, but noted that he wouldn’t draft a player he didn’t think he could sign. He added that Hoffman will head to Florida to continue his rehab from Tommy John, while Pentecost will eventually head to short-season Class A Vancouver (once he gets a passport). Anthopoulos also said that the team agreed to the full-slot value with Hoffman because they felt the “discount” on signing him was already built in to the fact that he fell to the No. 9 pick. He and his staff thought Hoffman had a chance to go in the Top 3 or even Top 2 picks before tearing his UCL.
- The Yankees have garnered a lot of attention with their international spending spree today, and Kiley McDaniel of Scout.com tweets that the team could spend as much as $30MM on international free agents, once the 100 percent overage tax is accounted for. That figure assumes that the team eventually agrees to terms with Colombian outfielder Bryan Emery, as many expect them to.