Athletics Acquire Justin Marks
The Athletics announced (on Twitter) that they’ve acquired lefty Justin Marks from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. As the Bay Area News Group’s John Hickey tweets, Oakland’s 40-man roster is full, meaning they’ll have to make a move to accommodate Marks.
For Marks, this is a return to the organization that selected him out of Louisville in the third round of the 2009 draft. Oakland shipped him to Kansas City along with Vin Mazzaro (who accepted an outright with the Pirates earlier today) in exchange for David DeJesus back in 2009.
Marks was designated for assignment earlier this week to clear a 40-man spot for right-hander Wilking Rodriguez. He was solid in his time at Class-A Advanced and Double-A in the minors, but he’s struggled to a 5.23 ERA in 161 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Marks averaged 8.6 strikeouts and 3.7 walks per nine innings in his minor league career and held opposing lefties to a .568 OPS in 2013.
Phillies Outright Tyson Gillies
The Phillies announced that outfielder Tyson Gillies has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the 40-man roster. Gillies will remain with the club’s Triple-A affiliate.
The 25-year-old Gillies was one of the pieces that Philadelphia received from the Mariners in exchange for left-hander Cliff Lee back in 2009 (Philadelphia also received Phillippe Aumont and J.C. Ramirez). However, he’s never hit much since being acquired from the Mariners and owns just a .219/.284/.310 batting line in 100 career games at Triple-A. The Vancouver native was Seattle’s No. 8 prospect (per Baseball America) at the time of the trade and ranked among Philadelphia’s Top 30 in 2011 and 2012 before falling off the list prior to the 2013 season.
Phillies Designate Cesar Jimenez For Assignment
The Phillies announced that they have selected the contract of veteran shortstop Ronny Cedeno and designated left-hander Cesar Jimenez for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
The 29-year-old Jimenez appeared in two games for the 2014 Phils, firing a pair of shutout innings on a hit and a walk with one strikeout. He appeared in 19 games for the Phillies last season en route to a 3.71 ERA, and he has a career 4.81 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 36.9 percent ground-ball rate in 67 1/3 innings. Jimenez has held opposing left-handers in check, though he hasn’t necessarily dominated them– yielding a .245/.311/.355 batting line in his career.
Cedeno, 31, hit reasonably well with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a .286/.327/.367 triple-slash in 160 plate appearances. He split last season between the Astros and Padres, posting a combined .617 OPS in 288 PA. In parts of nine big league seasons with the Cubs, Pirates, Mets, Mariners, Padres and Astros, Cedeno is a .246/.289/.354 hitter.
Blue Jays To Sign Luis Ayala
8:39am: Zach adds that Ayala’s contract with the Jays does not contain an opt-out clause, as his previous Orioles contract did (Twitter link).
8:26am: The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Luis Ayala, MLBTR’s Zach Links reports (on Twitter).
Ayala, who is represented by Paragon Sports International, signed with the Nationals in Spring Training but was granted his release after it became clear that there wouldn’t be a spot for him in the Washington ‘pen. He then inked a minor league deal with Baltimore and pitched 5 1/3 innings for their Double-A affiliate in Bowie before opting out of that deal as well.
The 36-year-old Ayala has been a solid bullpen piece for the past three seasons after it looked like his career was beginning to fade. He’s pitched for the Yankees, Orioles and Braves from 2011-13, posting a strong 2.58 ERA with 6.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate north of 50 percent. He’s a logical fit with the Blue Jays, who, despite their first-place standing in the AL East, have posted the second-worst bullpen ERA in the Majors at 4.62. Given the carousel of arms they’ve cycled through — Toronto has already used 16 different relievers this season — it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ayala pitch for the big league club at some point this summer.
Post-Draft Links: Aiken, Schwarber, Davidson, Verdugo
The first day of the 2014 draft is complete, and as many expected, the Astros selected high school left-hander Brady Aiken with the No. 1 overall pick. The team is in no hurry to sign Aiken, however, the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Drellich reports (Twitter links). Still,the Astros are understandably excited about the player they drafted. “This is the most advanced high school pitcher I’ve ever seen in my entire career,” says GM Jeff Luhnow. “He has command like I’ve never seen before.”
Here’s more from the draft’s first day…
- The Cubs turned some heads by selecting Indiana catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber with the fourth overall pick, but scouting director Jason McLeod told reporters that Schwarber was No. 2 on the team’s draft board all along. ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers quotes McLeod (on Twitter) as saying that Schwarber trailed only Aiken on their board, though as the Chicago Sun Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer tweets, McLeod did acknowledge that the pick will save them some money. The Cubs are expecting him to sign quickly.
- Braves top pick Braxton Davidson says he will sign rather than attending UNC, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Davidson’s slot — No. 32 overall — carries a $1.7054MM value, per Baseball America. I spoke with Davidson as part of MLBTR’s Draft Prospect Q&A series.
- Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish hears that the Dodgers and No. 62 overall pick Alex Verdugo already have an agreement in place, and the ASU commit will not be attending college (Twitter link). VP of amateur scouting Logan White tells MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that Verdugo, a two-way prospect, will start as a center fielder and convert to pitching if he doesn’t hit well (Twitter link).
- MLB.com’s Corey Brock spoke with Padres scouting director Billy Gasparino and got the impression that the team will shift its focus on jump on some arms tomorrow (Twitter link). San Diego drafted a pair of bats today in UNC shortstop Trea Turner and prep outfielder Michael Gettys.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
2014 Competitive Balance Round A Results
Here’s where we’ll post the results of Competitive Balance Round A. Here’s where you can track the results of the first round.
35. Colorado Rockies — 2B Forrest Wall, Orangewood Christian (FL HS)
36. Miami Marlins — C Blake Anderson, West Collinsville (Miss. HS)
37. Houston Astros — OF Derek Fisher, Virgina
38. Cleveland Indians — OF Mike Papi, Virginia
39. Pittsburgh Pirates — OF Connor Joe, San Diego
40. Kansas City Royals — C Chase Vallot, St. Thomas More (LA HS)
41. Milwaukee Brewers — SS Jacob Gatewood, Clovis (CA HS)
2014 MLB Draft Results
The 2014 MLB Draft begins tonight at 6:00pm Central, and we’ll keep track of first-round picks here as they happen.
- Houston Astros — LHP Brady Aiken, Cathedral Catholic (CA HS) — Did not sign
- Miami Marlins — RHP Tyler Kolek, Shepherd (TX HS) — Signed for $6MM bonus.
- Chicago White Sox — LHP Carlos Rodon, NC State — Signed for $6.582MM bonus.
- Chicago Cubs — C/1B Kyle Schwarber, Indiana — Signed for $3.125MM bonus.
- Minnesota Twins — SS Nick Gordon, Olympia (FL HS) — Signed for $3.851MM.
- Seattle Mariners — C/OF Alex Jackson, Rancho Bernardo (CA HS) — Agreed to $4.2MM bonus.
- Philadelphia Phillies — RHP Aaron Nola, LSU — Signed for $3.3MM bonus.
- Colorado Rockies — LHP Kyle Freeland, Evansville — Signed for $2.3MM bonus.
- Toronto Blue Jays — RHP Jeff Hoffman, East Carolina — Signed for $3.08MM bonus.
- New York Mets — OF Michael Conforto, Oregon State — Agreed to a $2.97MM bonus.
- Toronto Blue Jays — C Max Pentecost, Kennesaw State — Signed for $2.8883MM bonus.
- Milwaukee Brewers — LHP Kodi Medeiros, Waiakea (HI HS) — Signed for $2.5MM.
- San Diego Padres — SS Trea Turner, NC State — Signed for $2.9MM.
- San Francisco Giants — RHP Tyler Beede, Vanderbilt — Signed for $2.613MM.
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — LHP Sean Newcomb, Hartford — Signed for $2.5184MM.
- Arizona Diamondbacks — RHP Touki Toussaint, Coral Springs Christian (FL HS) — Signed for $2.7MM bonus.
- Kansas City Royals — LHP Brandon Finnegan, TCU — Signed for $2.2MM bonus.
- Washington Nationals — RHP Erick Fedde, UNLV — Signed for $2.511MM.
- Cincinnati Reds — RHP Nick Howard, Virginia — Signed for $1.99MM bonus.
- Tampa Bay Rays — 1B Casey Gillaspie, Wichita State — Signed for $2.035MM bonus.
- Cleveland Indians — OF Bradley Zimmer, San Francisco — Signed for $1.9MM.
- Los Angeles Dodgers — RHP Grant Holmes, Conway (SC HS) — Signed for $2.5MM.
- Detroit Tigers — OF Derek Hill, Elk Grove (CA HS) — Agreed to a $2MM bonus.
- Pittsburgh Pirates — SS Cole Tucker, Mountain Point (AZ HS) — Agreed to $1.8MM bonus.
- Oakland Athletics — 3B Matt Chapman, Cal State Fullerton — Signed for a $1.75MM bonus.
- Boston Red Sox — SS Michael Chavis, Sprayberry (GA HS) — Signed for $1.8705MM.
- Louis Cardinals — RHP Luke Weaver, Florida State — Agreed to $1.843MM bonus.
- Kansas City Royals — LHP Foster Griffin, First Academy (FL HS) — Agreed to $1.925MM bonus.
- Cincinnati Reds — 3B Alex Blandino, Stanford — Agreed to a $1.788MM bonus.
- Texas Rangers — RHP Luis Ortiz, Sanger (CA HS) — Signed for a $1.75MM bonus.
- Cleveland Indians — LHP Justus Sheffield, Tullahoma (TN HS) — Signed for $1.6MM plus $250K Vanderbilt scholarship.
- Atlanta Braves — OF Braxton Davidson, TC Roberson (NC HS) — Signed for $1.705MM.
- Boston Red Sox — RHP Michael Kopech, Mount Pleasant (TX HS) — Signed for $1.5MM.
- St. Louis Cardinals — RHP Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake (CA HS) — Agreed to $2MM bonus.
Astros Select Brady Aiken First Overall
The Astros have officially selected high school left-hander Brady Aiken with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft. Aiken was rated as the top draft prospect on the board by Baseball America, ESPN’s Keith Law and Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com. Other players thought to be in the mix with the first overall selection were North Carolina State left-hander Carlos Rodon, high school right-hander Tyler Kolek, high school shortstop Nick Gordon, high school catcher/outfielder Alex Jackson and Louisiana State right-hander Aaron Nola.
Aiken becomes the first high school left-hander taken in the Top 5 picks since the Orioles selected Adam Loewen fourth overall in 2002, and he’s the first high school pitcher to go 1-1 since the Yankees selected Brien Taylor back in 1991. While those facts illustrate some of the risk and uncertainty with high school pitchers, scouts tend to agree that Aiken is among the best talents — if not the best talent — in this year’s class.
Aiken’s fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range and has touched 97 mph, per Mayo and Callis. BA praises his athleticism — he was his football team’s quarterback earlier in high school — as well as his “fluid delivery with minimal effort” and his ability to command all three of his pitches. Law notes that Aiken’s changeup might be his best pitch, adding that his fastball and curveball give him a chance for three plus pitches when he’s at his best.
Aiken will only further bolster an Astros farm system that has become one of the best in the game over the past few years under GM Jeff Luhnow, scouting director Mike Elias and the rest of the Houston front office. The Astros have selected first overall for three straight years now, with Carlos Correa and Mark Appel being their previous No. 1 overall picks in that stretch. Some of their highly regarded prospects, such as George Springer and Jon Singleton, have graduated to the Majors this season, giving Houston fans hope of a bright future. Aiken and the remainder of Houston’s picks will join a farm system that still includes Correa, Appel, Michael Foltynewicz, Lance McCullers Jr., Delino DeShields Jr., Domingo Santana and many other well-regarded prospects.
The No. 1 overall spot in the draft this year carries an assigned pick value of $7,922,100, per Baseball America. The Astros don’t have to spend the entirety of that sum on Aiken if they can reach a deal with him and his adviser (he is reportedly being advised by Casey Close of Excel Sports Management). However, the team is also free to go over slot should it be necessary, from a negotiation standpoint. As BA’s J.J. Cooper reported in April, the Astros have $13,362,200 to spend on their draft pool this season, and they’re free to use that money as they see fit within the first 10 rounds.
AL West Notes: Ogando, Moss, Butler, Carbonell
It almost doesn’t seem fathomable, but the Rangers received even more bad news on the injury front today, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes that Alexi Ogando will be shut down for three weeks and could miss up to two months with inflammation and some minor ligament damage in his right elbow. An MRI showed “wear and tear” on the ligament, but not enough to require surgery, he adds. Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets that the Rangers are officially terming the injury “acute inflammation.”
Here’s more from the American League West…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes an excellent in-depth look at Athletics slugger Brandon Moss, who admits that he almost quit the game on multiple occasions before latching on with the A’s. Moss tells Rosenthal that he initially chose to sign with Oakland because he knew he’d be hitting in the Pacific Coast League at Triple-A after his minor league deal, and he thought that league’s notoriously hitter-friendly environments would boost his power numbers and draw some interest from Japanese teams. Moss adds that he was preparing to become a firefighter in his native Georgia, should his last attempt with the A’s not pan out.
- The Mariners could be a potential landing spot for Billy Butler if the Royals end up moving him, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. The team has long coveted Butler but would need to be convinced that his season-long slump is just that — a slump — rather than the beginning of a decline. Some scouts have told Dutton they don’t see diminished bat speed for Butler, which is a good sign. He adds that Kansas City has shown interest in Nick Franklin, though clearly a Butler-for-Franklin 1-for-1 swap isn’t realistic.
- Dutton adds that Mariners officials dismissed previous reports that have connected the team to Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell. It’s been reported previously that Seattle is one of two finalists for Carbonell’s services. Dutton does note that the Seattle front office’s denial could merely be gamesmanship.
Minor Moves: Vin Mazzaro
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- Reliever Vin Mazzaro has cleared outright waivers, and the Pirates have sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Mazzaro was a helpful member of the Pirates’ 2013 bullpen, but the Bucs have now outrighted him twice since April. They designated him for assignment late last month after he posted a 3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings for them this season.