Sano Passes Age Investigation
SI.com's Melissa Segura is reporting that prized Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano has passed Major League Baseball's age investigation. It seems like every team in the league has been connected to Sano at some point, but the Pirates and Orioles appear to be the frontrunners for his services.
The Dominican shortstop formerly known as Damian Arredondo used a false identity and failed the age investigation earlier this week, having his six-figure agreement with the Yankees voided.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Sano, White Sox, Blue Jays
Here's some links to check out as you celebrate the return of a full slate of baseball games…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says something doesn't add up about the Pirates reported interest in signing Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez to contract extensions. He wonders if the team will make low-ball offers that the players have no choice but to reject just so they can say "The players refused our offers and left us with no choice but to trade them away and improve our organization's future."
- Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff is in the Dominican Republic to take a look at Miguel Angel Sano, according to Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press.
- Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune notes that when asked about the team's interest in acquiring Roy Halladay, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said ""I don't think were going to give up half the organization for one player."
- Dave Cameron at FanGraphs has reached the top ten in his series of post about the 50 MLB players with the most trade value.
- The Blue Jays have signed their fourth round pick according to Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun.
Odds And Ends: Vinicio, Sano, Mets
More links for the afternoon…
- The Red Sox had this deal set up before July 2nd and now it's finalized. They signed Dominican SS Jose Vinicio to a $1.95MM deal, according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
- Roy Halladay leads the league in pitcher abuse points, as Tim shows at RotoAuthority. Click on the link for the entire list of hard-working starters.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. says Miguel Angel Sano wants to sign with the Pirates, but his agent wants him to take the biggest offer.
- Newsday's David Lennon reports that Fernando Martinez had surgery and will miss 6-8 weeks.
- In spite of all the injuries the Mets have suffered, Cameron Smith of the Washington Post isn't sure a second-place finish will be enough to save Omar Minaya's job. Minaya's three-year $4.5MM extension kicks in next season.
Odds And Ends: Zito, Red Sox, Pedro
Some links for the morning…
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants have to think about releasing Barry Zito after the season because he's weighing them down.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the Giants can't afford to release Zito just yet.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox could use another lefty specialist in the 'pen.
- Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the Pirates are confident Miguel Angel Sano is a 16 years old, like he says.
- Jamey Newberg updates us on the top 20 Rangers prospects at MLB.com. You have to think the Blue Jays are looking at a version of this list.
- Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle says no one will be watching Matt Holliday more closely than the Giants.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if Pedro Martinez can have a David Cone-like late career renaissance in Philadelphia.
- And check out the final part of my discussion over at NESN.com for a look at the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays and an under-the-radar trade candidate.
Odds And Ends: Sano, Gonzalez, Royals
Here's some more reading material for the afternoon…
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney runs through his first half surprises, including Ben Zobrist and the Tigers. He also says Roy Halladay and the Phillies are a perfect fit.
- As Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Miguel Angel Sano's future is still up in the air. The Orioles and Pirates and the favorites to sign the Dominican shortstop, but the Twins, Rangers and a couple other teams could still be interested.
- Adrian Gonzalez told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that winning matters most of all to him. Gonzalez is one of the players Speier looks at as potential fits in Boston, along with Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
- Here, Speier says Tim Wakefield has been one of the best bargains in baseball since 2002.
- Cameron Smith of the Washington Post says B.J. Ryan could be a nice addition for the Cubs.
- Dave Sheinin of the Post reports that Bud Selig said the Nats are "on the right track."
- Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star says Royals GM Dayton Moore needs a better grasp of the game's statistical side.
MLB To Complete Sano Investigation This Week
Miguel Angel Sano was one of the top players to become available when the international signing period began at the beginning of the month, perhaps the best one of all. Now, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. hears that MLB will complete its investigation into Sano's age later this week.
O’s Could Offer Sano A Deal Soon
The Orioles may be close to offering Miguel Angel Sano a deal that could surpass the $2.4MM they awarded top pick Matt Hobgood this year, according to Steve Melewski of MASN.com. ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. said Monday that the Orioles were not going to award Sano more than Hobgood or 2008 draftee Brian Matusz, who received $3.2MM. Now, Melewski says the O's could offer Sano more than $2.4MM, as they value him more than a late first rounder.
Miguel Angel Sano Rumors: Monday
9:25pm: Arangure also notes that the Aroldis Chapman defection could have a major impact on Sano's negotiations. As he tweets,
"Certain teams will save money for run at Aroldis. Last minute offer (for) Sano less likely now."
9:04pm: Seeking more information, I asked Arangure whether the Twins and Pirates also see Sano as a guy not worth a $4MM signing bonus. He was kind enough to respond:
"For me, the Twins aren't real contenders anymore. The Pirates won't give record money because they won't have to."
8:58pm: ESPN's Jorge Arangure, who's been on the ball since the international signing period began on July 2, just rattled off a couple of interesting "tweets" involving 16-year-old shortstop Miguel Angel Sano:
"Am convinced Sano will not get record money. Orioles see him as late-first-round talent, which does not equal $4 million. More like $1-$1.5."
"Those who think Orioles will give record $ for Sano remember: They gave $3.2m to No. 4 pick [Brian] Matusz last year. Gave [Matt] Hobgood $2.4 this yr."
"There's no way Orioles are giving more to Sano than they gave Matusz and Hobgood."
If Arangure is correct, and the other teams tracking Sano follow suit, Wagner Mateo, singed July 2 by the Cardinals for $3.1MM, will go down as the highest-paid international prospect from 2009. Sano has been courted this summer by the Twins, Pirates and O's, who are awaiting the results of an MLB investigation into his age and identification.
Twins A Distant Third For Sano
ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that the Twins are now just a distant third behind the Pirates and Orioles in the sweepstakes for Dominican megaprospect Miguel Angel Sano. He notes that the Twins don't have unlimited funds, and instead are "simply moving on."
Earlier today we recapped everything we know about Sano, the top prospect on this year international market.
Talkin’ Miguel Angel Sano
Miguel Angel Sano, a 16-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, has had his name bounced around the pages of MLBTR for weeks. We first checked in on him May 9, when he was still 15 years old and the Pirates were the only club openly talking about signing him. As far as where he'll land? We're all still in the dark. But here's what we know…
- GlobalPost worked up a nice video profile of the kid in May. That's a good place to start.
- Baseball America's Ben Badler opined that Sano would have gone in the first round of this year's draft had he been eligible.
- Major League Baseball is investigating Sano's age and identity, which is expected to delay the presentation of any formal contracts. He'll receive a one-year suspension if he's found to be lying.
- The investigation might not conclude until next week, and may never yield exact findings.
- He's in search of a signing bonus of over $3MM.
- The Twins and Pirates have made offers, contingent on the results of MLB's investigation.
- The Orioles are also thought to have serious interest and might extend an offer in the next few days.
- The Cardinals had interest at one point, but it may have fizzled out with their signing of Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo to a $3.1MM signing bonus.
- The Yankees also had their eye on Sano in mid-June, but haven't been mentioned in rumors recently.
For MLBTR's full archive of Sano coverage, check here.