The Pirates signed second rounder Josh Bell for $5MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The team has confirmed the deal. The high schooler appeared to be one of the toughest signs in the draft.
Pirates Rumors
Pirates Sign Gerrit Cole
The Pirates have signed first overall pick Gerrit Cole, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Cole obtains an $8MM deal, according to John Manuel of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Boras corporation represents the hard throwing UCLA product.
Cole stands 6'4" and doesn't turn 21 until the fall. He throws a slider and change-up, plus a fastball that regularly reaches the mid 90s. However, his stuff didn’t translate into the statistical success you’d expect for a first overall pick (teammate Trevor Bauer posted more impressive numbers). Cole finished the season with a 3.31 ERA, 119 strikeouts and 24 walks in 114 1/3 innings – impressive numbers, but certainly not Strasburg-esque.
Cole has experience as a first rounder. The Yankees selected him out of high school in 2008. He declined to sign, even though he’s a Yankees fan who counts Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera among his role models.
I spoke to Cole earlier this year; here's my interview transcript.
You can keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.
Quick Hits: Marquis, Aaron Hill, Ellis, Matsui
Dan Uggla's incredible 33-game hitting streak came to an end today. The Braves' slugger batted an insane .377/.438/.762 over that stretch with 15 homers, good for an even 1.200 OPS. Remarkably though, he still falls 23 games short of Joe DiMaggio's immortal record. Here are your Sunday links:
- After fracturing a fibula today, new Diamondbacks acquisition Jason Marquis will miss four to six weeks. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that it sounds like the team's inclination is to replace Marquis internally. The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro doesn't think the team will go with top draft pick Trevor Bauer for the rotation spot, but notes that it's not crazy to suggest it. The 20-year-old Bauer tossed five scoreless innings today in his Double-A debut.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm, "We’re always open minded for Aaron [Hill] still being a long-term part of this team." Anthopoulos notes that Hill has flashed his talent at times this year. It's tough to picture the Jays picking up Hill's $8MM club option, but maybe they can work something out.
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post tweets that he would be surprised if the Rockies don't re-sign second baseman Mark Ellis. The 34-year-old had a .267/.304/.382 line in 139 plate appearances heading into tonight's action.
- If Bob Melvin is managing the Athletics again in 2012, he wants them to bring Hideki Matsui back, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Matsui had just a .617 OPS in the season's first half, but has risen from the ashes to post a .410/.470/.630 slash line in 26 games since the All-Star Break.
- Similarly, the Cubs and Carlos Pena both seem to be open to working out a new deal, writes Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. On a related note, ESPN's Buster Olney hears that "in some important corners of the Cubs' front office, there is concern about investing huge money in one player this winter." In other words, the Cubs' brass might be wary of signing Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder to play first base.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonders if the Pirates can follow the path to prominence that their division rivals, the Brewers, followed to escape a similar tradition of losing.
- Olney tweets that in three days, Drew Pomeranz can officially become the player to be named later from last month's Ubaldo Jimenez trade with the Indians. Pomeranz is expected to report to the Rockies' Double-A affiliate in Tulsa.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Draft Signings: Blue Jays, Indians, Red Sox, Pirates
The draft signing deadline is now less than three full days away, and the signing status of all first and supplemental first round picks can be found right here. We'll keep track of all the day's notable signings right here, with the latest up top…
- The Blue Jays have signed third rounder Josh Stilson for $500K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. MLB's slot recommendation was just about $290K. Stilson, a right-hander from Texas A&M, was expected to be a first round pick before injuring his shoulder this spring.
- The Indians have signed 19th round pick Shawn Morimando, according to the Reynolds Sports Twitter feed. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports (on Twitter) that the high school left-hander from Virginia Beach received a $350K signing bonus.
- The Red Sox have signed 29th rounder Matt Spalding for $275K, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Spalding is a high school right-hander from Kentucky.
- The Pirates announced that they have signed 12th rounder Candon Myles in a press release. He's a high school center fielder from Texas, and his signing bonus was undisclosed.
Pirates Designate Tim Wood For Assignment
The Pirates announced that they designated right-hander Tim Wood for assignment to create space for Ross Ohlendorf on the 40-man roster. The Pirates recalled Ohlendorf from rehab, reinstated him from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A.
Wood, 28, has appeared in 13 games for the Pirates this year. He has spent most of the season with Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate, where he has a 2.84 ERA with 23 saves, 6.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 44 1/3 innings. The former Marlin has a 4.50 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in nine minor league seasons. It won't be surprising if he gets claimed within ten days.
Pirates Re-Sign Michael Crotta
The Pirates re-signed Michael Crotta to a minor league contract, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Pittsburgh designated the right-hander for assignment at the end of July and appear to have released him since.
Crotta, 26, made his MLB debut in April, but hasn't pitched in the Majors since May. The 2006 draft pick appeared in 15 games for the Pirates this year, posting a 9.28 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 10 2/3 innings. He appeared in 12 minor league games for the Pirates' top two affiliates and has spent considerable time on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation.
Quick Hits: Tigers, Angels, Rhodes, Pirates
Ubaldo Jimenez makes his Cleveland debut tonight as the Indians look to gain more ground on the division leading Tigers. Here are today's links…
- Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello tell John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press that they were pleased to see the Tigers extend the contracts of GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland.
- Former Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that GM Tony Reagins fired him last winter because of a personality clash and because Reagins wasn't happy with the Angels' recent drafts. Bane, now a scout with the Tigers, drafted Garrett Richards, Mike Trout and Tyler Skaggs in 2009 and Tyler Chatwood in 2008.
- Aaron Rowand told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has enjoyed his time in San Francisco, downplaying speculation that he would prefer to be in Chicago again.
- The Yankees have some interest in signing recently-released left-hander Arthur Rhodes to a minor league deal, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Pirates have improved this year, despite their recent skid. They aren't better than the Brewers or Cardinals, but they're better than they used to be.
Heyman On Reyes, Ortiz, Cole, Twins
The market for Jose Reyes should still be strong after the season, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. MLB executives tell Heyman that the Giants, Cardinals, Tigers, Angels, Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees and Mets could be fits for the shortstop in terms of finances and positional need. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors…
- Yankees people suggest they’re unlikely to pursue Reyes and Red Sox people say they don’t expect to spend big on a position player this winter.
- The Red Sox haven’t discussed a new deal with David Ortiz, though they’re confident that they’ll be able to re-sign him after the season. Ortiz has expressed interest in a multiyear deal for a while, but the Red Sox don’t want to guarantee more than one year.
- First overall draft pick Gerrit Cole is looking to approach Stephen Strasburg’s $15.1MM bonus and top Mariners pick Danny Hultzen is looking for $13MM plus money for school, Heyman reports. Keep track of which top picks have signed here.
- The Twins appear to want to keep Joe Nathan when he hits free agency after the season, but they’ll probably let Matt Capps sign elsewhere.
Minor Moves: Clevelan Santeliz, Miguel Perez
Here are today's minor moves…
- The Red Sox have released Clevelan Santeliz according to the Triple-A International League transactions page. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a 4.60 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 in 43 relief innings for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket.
- The Pirates returned minor league catcher Miguel Perez from the Nationals, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (on Twitter). The Pirates had acquired Perez from Washington at the end of June. The 27-year-old has appeared in just ten games this year, but has a .269/.322/.343 line in ten seasons as a minor leaguer.
Lyle Overbay Hits Free Agency
Lyle Overbay has cleared waivers and hit free agency, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). The Pirates had designated him for assignment at the end of July.
Overbay signed a one-year $5MM contract with the Pirates in the offseason, but didn't produce as well as expected in his return to the National League. After reaching the 20 homer plateau for the second time in his career last year and posting a .243/.329/.433 line, the 34-year-old added just eight homers for Pittsburgh, posting a .227/.300/.349 line.
