Trade Deadline Notes: D’Backs, Price, Zobrist, Lee, Cubs
With the draft in the rear-view mirror, the league’s attention will increasingly turn to the coming summer trade market — though, with so many teams still in the hunt and so much money owed to many possible trade candidates, Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if it will be a sluggish market.
Here’s the latest on some teams and players who could be discussed:
- The Diamondbacks, who feature a roster with several attractive veteran pieces, have also been widely noted for their abundance of quality young middle infielders. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links), current Triple-A shortstop Nick Ahmed has sparked interest from multiple other clubs. Ahmed, 24, is known as an outstanding defensive player and has enjoyed his most productive season at the plate this year with a .304/.385/.401 line in 250 plate appearances in his first run at Triple-A.
- The Rays should consider putting ace David Price on the market now rather than waiting for the deadline to approach, opines MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince. Tampa may not achieve the return it hopes for if it waits, says Castrovince, citing a variety of reasons — including the current proliferation of teams still in the hunt, the possibility that Cubs hurler Jeff Samardzija may approach or even surpass him in value, and the potential introduction of Royals’ ace James Shields into the discussion.
- Price may be the Rays‘ most valuable trade chip, but the versatile Ben Zobrist would draw the widest interest if he is put on the block, tweets Rosenthal. The 33-year-old jack of all trades is owed just $7MM this year and comes with an attractive $7.5MM club option for 2015.
- Indeed, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes that Zobrist is “the perfect acquisition for a team like the Tigers, Giants, or Dodgers.” As I noted a few days ago, he would also make sense for a team like the Nationals if they decide to add an impact veteran, and there are surely many others with possible interest.
- Gammons goes on to cite a few other possibly overlooked trade possibilities. He lists Bartolo Colon of the Mets and Steve Cishek of the Marlins in addition to some more commonly mentioned names like Jason Hammel of the Cubs, and Chase Headley of the Padres.
- Cliff Lee of the Phillies, a hypothetically intriguing trade candidate, finally threw a baseball yesterday for the first time since May 18, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. After what he described as a “light throwing session,” Lee said that his elbow was feeling “better.” Of course, he would need to make it back for at least a few starts to allow Philadelphia to recoup anything close to maximum value were they to shop him.
- In today’s Baseball Tonight podcast (audio link), ESPN’s Buster Olney says that hears the Cubs will approach this year’s deadline as they did in 2013, dealing one pitcher early as they did with Scott Feldman last year and waiting until later to move a second, as they did with Matt Garza. Presumably, that’d mean Jason Hammel would be moved first, with Jeff Samardzija being moved later. His colleague, Keith Law, feels the strategy can work, as there will never be enough starting pitchers for all the teams looking to buy, and the price for Hammel isn’t as difficult to agree upon. Moving Hammel early on forces interested clubs to force on the bigger target later in the deadline as the need becomes greater.
- Olney lists the Blue Jays, the Orioles and the Athletics as teams that could have early interest in Hammel, and he wonders if the recent injuries to the Pirates‘ rotation would cause them to jump into the mix. Law feels the Angels could be added to that mix, as their weak farm system would prevent them from adding a big-name starter.
Cubs To Sign Yorvit Torrealba
The Cubs have agreed to ink catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal, reports Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The 35-year-old is a veteran of 13 MLB seasons.
Torrealba, a part-time player for most of his career, saw significant action last year for the Rockies. He posted a .240/.295/.285 line in 196 plate appearances on the year. Torrealba spent the spring with the Angels, but opted out of his deal when it became clear that he would not make the active roster.
Torrealba should provide a depth option for the club. With Welington Castillo on the 15-day DL, the Cubs have rolled out a combination of John Baker and Eli Whiteside at catcher.
Athletics To Sign Matt Chapman
The Athletics have agreed to sign first-round choice Matt Chapman, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). Chapman will receive a $1.75MM bonus that falls about $148K shy of the 25th slot’s bonus allocation.
Oakland thought more highly of the Cal-State Fullerton third baseman and right-handed reliever than did most draft observers. ESPN.com’s Keith Law had him as the 60th-best player available, while Baseball America put him at 64th overall and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis saw him as the 82nd rated draft prospect.
The overall consensus appears to be that Chapman has a big arm, though he has not seen much time on the hill. His bat has generated mixed views, with MLB.com citing good power that has not translated to game action, where he has struggled to square up the ball consistently. Baseball America says that he has a good approach and line-drive swing, noting that he has hit 98 on the radar gun and could value as a pitcher if he can’t stick as a position player. (The A’s, of course, have found recent success in a potentially analogous situation with Sean Doolittle.)
Those savings combine with the approximately $478.9K that the team secured in signing second-rounder Daniel Gossett and three other picks, as reported earlier today. Oakland has the ability to wield as much as $4.78MM in total bonus allotment, should it sign all of its picks from the first ten rounds.
Diamondbacks Designate Nick Evans For Assignment
The Diamondbacks have designated utilityman Nick Evans for assignment, the club announced via press release. Evans’ roster spot will go to Jordan Pacheco, who (the club confirmed) was claimed from the Rockies.
The 28-year-old Evans received only 11 plate appearances this year for the D’backs, making his first appearance on an active MLB roster since a stretch of time with the Mets over 2008-11. He has been quite effective at Triple-A, however, slashing .335/.393/.641 with 11 home runs through 191 plate appearances in 2014.
D’backs Option Trevor Cahill
JUNE 12: Cahill has been optioned to the Diamondbacks’ Single-A Advanced affiliate, the club announced on Twitter. He will take the ball as the starter for Visalia tonight, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, which confirms both that he has accepted the assignment and that he will look to stretch out again as a starter.
JUNE 10: The club has secured optional waivers on Cahill, tweets Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona, meaning that he can be sent to the minors if he consents to the assignment.
JUNE 9, 7:48pm: Cahill has indicated that he would be amenable to taking a minor league assignment, tweets MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert.
5:58pm: The Diamondbacks announced today that they have designated right-hander Trevor Cahill for assignment as part of a series of transactions (Twitter links). The club also reinstated J.J. Putz from the 15-day disabled list, recalled Will Harris from Triple-A Reno, and placed Eric Chavez on the 15-day DL.
Now 26, Cahill came to Arizona from the Athletics (along with Craig Breslow) back in December of 2011. The Diamondbacks gave up a significant haul to acquire his rights, parting with Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill, and Ryan Cook. While Cowgill has moved on from Oakland, both Parker and Cook are key parts of the club’s staff (though the former is out for the year for Tommy John surgery and the latter has been limited with his own arm troubles).
Less than a year before he was dealt, Cahill had signed a five-year, $30.5MM pact with Oakland. That contract, no doubt, was part of his appeal, especially as he owned a 3.91 ERA through 583 career innings at the point of the trade. Though he was coming off of a less impressive 2011 campaign, the then-23-year-old had tossed 196 2/3 innings of sub-3.00 ERA ball in 2010.
Now, of course, most if not all of the remainder of that contract is likely to stay on Arizona’s books — and it no longer looks like a bargain. While Cahill combined for 346 2/3 innings of 3.87 ERA ball in his first two seasons with his new club, he missed time last year with a hip injury and has struggled to a 5.66 ERA through 41 1/3 frames in 2014. Though he is striking out batters at a 9.6 K/9 rate that is far and away the best in his career, he is also surrendering a career-low 5.4 BB/9 while dropping below a 50% groundball rate for the first time since his rookie year.
On the other hand, since shifting to the pen, Cahill has worked to a 3.04 ERA while holding the opposition to a .681 OPS. And on the whole, advanced metrics see Cahill as being much the same pitcher now as he has always been. For instance, since his first year in the bigs, his SIERA has never been above 4.11 or below 3.84 (and stands at 3.96 for 2014).
The contract, which includes successive club options for 2016-17, guarantees Cahill the rest of his $7.7MM salary this year as well as $12.3MM for 2015 and a buyout. The question becomes whether not only those obligations, but also Cahill himself, will stay in Arizona. GM Kevin Towers says that the “hope is to retain him,” as the team “still think[s] there is value there,” reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Though he has options available, as a veteran with over five years of service time to his name, Cahill would need to agree to any assignment from the D’backs — and would not sacrifice future salary if he declines. Towers implied that he has agreed to do just that, says Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (links to Twitter): “There’s a game plan in place for what we’re ultimately going to do, but as of right now he’s just designated.” Presumably, the club would allow Cahill to try to work out his issues while stretching back out as a starter.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Diamondbacks Claim Jordan Pacheco From Rockies
The Diamondbacks have claimed infielder/catcher Jordan Pacheco off waivers from the Rockies, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). Pacheco, 28, was designated and then placed on outright waivers recently by Colorado.
Pacheco is best known for his defensive versatility and contact skills. He has seen significant time at catcher, third, and first with the Rockies over recent seasons. And in 2012, he posted a sturdy .309/.341/.421 triple-slash over 505 plate appearances. Those numbers have turned south recently, however, as Pacheco owns only a .238/.282/.320 line over the last two seasons.
As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reported back in March, Pacheco is out of options. Arizona is currently relying on Tuffy Gosewisch as the primary backup to Miguel Montero behind the dish, though the 30-year-old has seen only 37 plate appearances (slashing an underwhelming .194/.216/.306).
Latest On Cuban Outfielder Alfredo Despaigne
JUNE 12: Despaigne has been hit with a lifetime ban by the Mexican League, reports Badler. The news will not, however, impact any future moves by Despaigne to establish himself as a major league free agent, as MLB informs Badler that it does not have an agreement to honor Mexican League suspensions.
MAY 20: Reports out of Cuba indicate that Despaigne has returned to his home island, says Badler. A final decision on his status in the Mexican League is still pending and is now expected to take some time. Should Despaigne be hit with a suspension, he may look to follow prominent countrymen Frederich Cepeda and Yulieski Gourriel to Japan, sources tell Badler.
MAY 15, 8:31pm: Despaigne has been temporarily suspended by the Mexican League, Badler reports. The decision as to his ultimate punishment is not yet known, as the league is waiting to hear back from the Dominican government regarding Despaigne’s passport.
The Mexican League is also investigating Despaigne’s team, the Campeche Pirates, to see if anyone from the club helped him in attaining a false passport. Any individuals who helped Despaigne in the acquisition of that document could potentially face a lifetime ban from the league, though Campeche issued a statement today stating that no one from the club was involved in the scandal.
A final ruling on Despaigne’s punishment could come on Monday, according to Badler.
11:29am: 27-year-old Cuban outfielder Alfredo Despaigne, long one of the island nation’s most intriguing talents, has played this year and last in the Mexican League under special permission from the Cuban government. Now, reports suggest that he could potentially be in position to attempt to establish himself as an MLB free agent.
As Ben Badler of Baseball America recently reported, Despaigne has been playing this year under a Dominican passport dated back to April of 2013 (before his debut with Campeche last year), raising interesting questions about his status and intentions. Despaigne appeared in the Mexican League on a Cuban passport in 2013. But during the Winter Meetings in December, MLB asked the affiliated league to require a passport from a third country before employing Cuban players, owing to concerns involving the United States’ embargo against Cuba. (As Badler notes, it seems somewhat dubious that residency in another country would be seen as relevant to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control when the player retains his Cuban citizenship, as appears to be the case for Despaigne.)
The situation has only become more confusing in recent days. At the time of Badler’s initial report on Tuesday, the Mexican League said it was not investigating the situation. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported thereafter (Spanish language link) that Dominican officials believe Despaigne has had three false Dominican passports that were not obtained through official channels. In an updated report, Rojas says that the Mexican League is now initiating an inquiry. “At this time we are opening an investigation to determine the legality of the passport Campeche submitted to register Despaigne,” said league president Plinio Escalante. “If we find an irregularity, he will have to stop playing immediately and the club will be sanctioned.”
As Badler writes today, how the Mexican League proceeds could greatly impact Despaigne’s future. A decision is expected by the end of the week, and Badler says there are two disciplinary scenarios. On the one hand, the league could suspend Despaigne for up to seven years, which would also bar him from playing in any MLB-affiliated league for the period of the ban.
On the other, the league could simply declare him ineligible. In that case, Despaigne would still be eligible to use the mechanisms generally available to Cuban ballplayers to effect a move to the majors (convoluted and unappealing though they may be). Despaigne could hypothetically attempt to defect to Mexico, renouncing his Cuban citizenship and asking to be declared a free agent by MLB. It remains far from clear, of course, that Despaigne intends (or even desires) to make such a move, let alone that it would be successful, but Badler notes that he may now have a path to the United States that does not involve a harrowing escape from his home nation.
If Despaigne were to navigate his way to free agency, he would make for a compelling target for many MLB clubs. Badler says that the 5’9, right-handed swinging corner outfielder has a highly aggressive approach and shows 80-grade power that compares favorably to that of White Sox sensation Jose Abreu. (Additional scouting information from Badler is available here and here.) Indeed, he has posted a combined .341/.381/.578 line with 13 home runs in just 227 Mexican League plate appearances. Despaigne has racked up 45 strike outs to go with just 11 walks in that stretch, though he also has notched five stolen bases.
Diamondbacks To Sign Isan Diaz, Brent Jones
The Diamondbacks have agreed to a below-slot bonus with competitive balance round B selection Isan Diaz, reports MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter). Diaz gets $750K, meaning that Arizona will save about $58.6K as against the slot assignment for the 70th overall choice.
Diaz, a high school middle infielder who had been committed to Vanderbilt, was viewed as a fifth-round talent by observers like Baseball America and MLB.com. The latter outlet’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis explained that he is expected to shift to second base, but has an excellent left-handed bat and solid defensive skills. But ESPN.com’s Keith Law placed Diaz within his top 100 available prospects (at the 90th slot).
The club has also added fourth-round pick, Brent Jones, for $350K, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. That falls $82.3K below the assigned slot for the 120th overall selection, which combines with the savings on Diaz to free about $141K to put towards other selections.
Athletics Sign Daniel Gossett, Three Other Picks
The Athletics have reached deals with four of the club’s ten first-round selections, reports MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. Among them is second-round (65th overall) choice Daniel Gossett, who gets a $750K bonus that falls $123K under the assigned slot value.
ESPN.com’s Keith Law was the most bullish draft observer with respect to Gossett, a junior righty from Clemson. Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com had him at 87th on their board, noting that Gossett’s relatively slight frame has led to questions about whether he can stick in the rotation.
Three other arms made up the rest of the signings. Fourth-rounder Jordan Schwartz gets $175K, a $110K savings as against the 132nd overall choice’s $385K slot value. Schwartz, a Niagara junior, was listed much later on Baseball America’s prospect rankings (376th). Meanwhile, agreements with ninth-rounder Mike Fagan ($20K bonus vs. $143.3K slot) and tenth-round selection Corey Miller ($15K bonus vs. $137.6K slot) also freed up cash.
All told, Oakland has opened up about $478.9K through these signings. The club entered the draft with a relatively paltry $4.78MM in available pool space.
That represents .
Pirates To Sign Second-Rounder Mitch Keller
TODAY: Keller will receive a $1MM bonus, tweets MLB.com’s Jim Callis. That means that Pittsburgh will have to account for a $113.2K overage, which is less than the team saved in signing first-rounder Cole Tucker.
YESTERDAY: Second-round draft selection Mitch Keller tells Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register that he’s agreed to terms with the Pirates and will travel to Pittsburgh tomorrow and sign a contract on Friday. The assigned pick value for the No. 64 overall selection is $886,800, according to Baseball America.
Keller, a high school right-hander out of Cedar Rapids, Ia. and North Carolina commit, ranked 65th among draft prospects according to ESPN’s Keith Law, 69th according to Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and 76th according to Baseball America. According to those scouting reports, Keller’s stock rose this spring as his fastball added some velocity, and he now sits in the low 90s, touching 94-95 mph on occasion. He also has a curveball that’s better at present than his changeup. Law notes that he has a real chance to have two plus pitches (his fastball and curve), giving him a floor of a high-leverage reliever and the ceiling of a No. 3 starter.
Keller tells Birch that the decision between signing and attending UNC was difficult, but he feels he made the right choice and that beginning his pro career is a “dream come true.” Birch writes that Keller finished his final season at Xavier High School — the same school that produced big league outfielder Ryan Sweeney — with a 1.72 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings.
The Pirates have the ability to above slot to sign Keller, if necessary, due to the fact that first-round pick Cole Tucker signed for about $125K below slot, agreeing to a $1.8MM bonus on Monday. Keller’s older brother, Jon, is a right-handed pitcher in the Orioles’ system.