Draft Signings: Bohn, Salazar, Verbistky, Healy, Moll
Baseball America's Jim Callis tweeted updates on previous draft signings Bryan Verbitsky and Carlos Salazar today. Verbitsky, a third-round pick by the Padres will receive $400K, while Salazar, the Braves' third-rounder, will receive $625K (Twitter links). The Padres landed Verbitsky $221K under slot, while the Braves went over-slot by nearly $120K. Here are more signings out of the second and third rounds (all slot info courtesy of Baseball America)…
- The Rockies went $535K over slot to sign sixth-rounder Dom Nunez, according to BA's Jim Callis (on Twitter). The California high school third baseman/shortstop/catcher boasts a compact swing, sneaky pop, and a strong arm.
- The Marlins have agreed to a significantly over-slot deal with seventh-round pick Justin Bohn, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. Bohn, the No. 202 overall selection, signed for $525K, though the assigned pick value for that slot was just $193K. Bohn had been committed to Oregon State.
- The A's have signed third-round pick Ryon Healy for $500K, tweets Callis. The A's saved about $16K on Oregon's first baseman, who shows good power and has a chance to play third base.
- Callis tweets that the Rockies signed third-rounder Sam Moll for $600K, meaning they saved about $113K on the Memphis left-hander. Though he stands just 5'11", Moll throws 93-95 mph as a starter. He's likely a reliever in the pros, though.
- The Royals signed third-round pick Carter Hope for $561K, Callis reports (Twitter link). Hope's bonus is exactly $100K under slot. The prep righty from Texas throws 88-92 mph with an improving curveball. He had been committed to Oklahoma State.
Padres Sign Ben Francisco
The Padres have signed Ben Francisco to a minor league deal, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (on Twitter). The outfielder was designated for assignment by the Yankees in late May and released in early June. Francisco will report to Triple-A Tuscon and provide San Diego with some additional minor league depth.
The 31-year-old hit just .114/.220/.182 in 50 plate appearances this season with the Bombers but has a .253/.323/.418 career line across seven seasons. Francisco spent the first six seasons of his career with the Indians and Phillies but has had stints with four big league clubs from 2012-13.
Quick Hits: Appel, Padres, Jimenez, 2014 Draft
Despite reports over the weekend that the Astros and first overall pick Mark Appel have already agreed to terms on a below-slot contract, GM Jeff Luhnow today told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and Chris Abshire) that nothing is official and he has yet to meet with Appel or advisor Scott Boras. "We're trying to move it as fast as we can," Luhnow said. "We wanted to give [Appel] the weekend to enjoy his commencement. We're optimistic we can move it pretty quickly." Luhnow said he hoped that Appel would be signed by as soon as this week.
Here's the latest from around the majors…
- Virtually all of the players recently extended by the Padres have struggled, so Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune said the team might look for future extension candidates to prove themselves more fully before signing them to multiyear deals. Center also discusses several other Padres topics as part of the online chat with fans.
- Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez, favored to receive the largest bonus of the coming international signing period, is profiled by Baseball America's Ben Badler. Jimenez, a 16-year-old with a 6'4", 200-pound frame, was reported to be a major target for the Cubs by Badler last month, and Chicago is still in "heavy pursuit" of the prospect. Two of the several scouts and international directors who comment in Badler's piece cite Jermaine Dye as a comparable for Jimenez.
- With the 2013 amateur draft just barely in the books, ESPN.com's Christopher Crawford (Insider subscription required) looks ahead to the 2014 draft, which could be headlined by two NC State products.
- FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi looks at ten players who have helped their trade value in recent weeks. Three of those players (Jesse Crain, Yovani Gallardo and Bud Norris) have recently had their trade stock examined as part of MLBTR's Trade Candidate series.
- In the video link atop that previous post, Morosi cites the Blue Jays, Padres and Phillies as being "right on the fence" as to whether or not they'll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. If the three teams do decide to sell, plenty of arms will be available — Morosi lists Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Eric Stults, Jason Marquis, Jonathan Papelbon and Cliff Lee as possible trade chips.
- Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said he has no intention of releasing embattled reliever Carlos Marmol, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. Manager Dale Sveum said the same yesterday after Marmol allowed four ninth-inning runs in a 4-3 Cubs loss to the Mets. Marmol has a 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 IP this season.
Minor Moves: Stange, Ruiz, Carter, Torra
Here's your daily rundown of minor transactions from around the league…
- Right-hander Daniel Stange has opted out of his deal with the Padres' Triple-A affiliate, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (via Twitter). Stange last pitched in the majors in 2010, appearing in four games with the Diamondbacks, and has been in the minors with the D'Backs and Padres ever since. Stange posted a 4.15 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 39 relief innings at Triple-A this season.
- Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that the Yankees have signed first baseman/DH Randy Ruiz and assigned the slugger to Triple-A. Ruiz, 35, has a monstrous .301/.373/.524 batting line and 232 homers in parts of 15 minor league seasons. He batted .313/.385/.635 with 10 homers in 130 plate appearances for the Blue Jays in 2009 but went just 6-for-40 with the Jays in 2010. He hasn't appeared in the Majors since, though he did total 68 plate appearances for the Twins in 2008.
- The Seibu Lions have reacquired outfielder/designated hitter Chris Carter (not to be confused with the other Chris Carter, who currently plays for the Astros) after releasing him this past offseason, according to a report from Nikkan Sports. Carter, who last saw MLB action in 2010 with the Mets, had been playing in the independent BC League in Japan this season. The 30-year-old appeared in 59 games for the Lions in 2012, compiling a .294/.348/.452 line in 138 plate appearances.
- The Nationals have released Triple-A right-hander Matt Torra, according to the International League transactions page. Torra, 28, had a 5.53 ERA in 27 2/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse this season. He was selected 31st overall in the 2008 draft by the Diamondbacks but has never cracked the Majors. In 578 1/3 innings at Triple-A, Torra has a 4.64 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9.
- Seven players are currently in DFA limbo: Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies, Ramon Ramirez of the Giants, James Darnell of the Padres, Ramon Hernandez of the Dodgers, Kelly Shoppach of the Mariners, Mike Zagurski of the Pirates and Collin McHugh of the Mets.
MLBTR contributor Aaron Steen provided the translation for the Carter story.
Padres Sign 2nd Round Pick Dustin Peterson
The Padres have signed second-rounder Dustin Peterson, a high-school shortstop, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. Brock also tweeted that Peterson's bonus will land above the $1.082MM slot recommendation for the 50th overall pick, with Baseball America's Jim Callis reporting (via Twitter) that the deal is for $1.4MM. Peterson is advised by Excel Sports Management.
Peterson was universally regarded as a top-100 talent entering the draft. ESPN's Keith Law pegged him as the 39th best overall prospect, while Baseball America had him at 62 and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo at 73. According to Law, Peterson has solid swing mechanics and gap power, but needs to work on recognizing off-speed offerings. Law noted that the youngster figures more as a second baseman than a shortstop, while Callis calls him a future third baseman. As Brock notes, older brother D.J. Peterson was recently inked by the Mariners after being chosen with the 12th overall selection.
Padres Acquire Pedro Ciriaco
The Padres have acquired Pedro Ciriaco from the Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named later, tweets Peter Gammons of the MLB Network. The 27-year-old infielder was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Monday. Because he is out of options, Ciriaco will need to be placed on San Diego's 25-man roster.
Ciriaco hit .293/.315/.390 in 272 plate appearances for the BoSox last season, but batted just .216/.293/.353 in limited playing time this year. The signing of Stephen Drew and the emergence of Jose Iglesias made Ciriaco expendable to the Red Sox.
San Diego recently lost Jedd Gyorko to the disabled list, so it makes sense that the Friars were on the lookout for infield help. In 370 Major League plate appearances, Ciriaco is a .287/.315/.398 hitter. He has extensive experience at third base, shortstop and second base, but Ciriaco also played all three outfield positions and first base as well during his Red Sox tenure.
Draft Signings: Indians, Smith, Kuhl, Wade, O’Neill
Here's today's rundown of notable Day 2 and Day 3 draft picks to sign (all slot info courtesy of Baseball America's list of assigned pick values)…
- The Indians announced, via Twitter, that they have signed four draft picks, including right-hander Trevor Frank, who served as the closer for the UC Riverside this season.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Padres fourth-rounder Mason Smith received a $415K bonus. Smith signed slightly under the assigned pick value of $433K. The high school outfielder from Idaho was committed to Utah and projects to have a plus bat with average power. MLB.com's Corey Brock first reported the Smith signing, as noted below.
- Pirates ninth-rounder Chad Kuhl signed for the full slot value of $145K, tweets Callis, who adds that the Delaware right-hander generates a lot of ground-balls with his sinker.
- The Yankees have signed fourth-rounder Tyler Wade to a deal worth $371K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The high school shortstop's bonus matches the assigned value of his pick. Callis writes that Wade boasts plus speed and a plus arm with a line-drive bat.
- Callis tweets that the Mariners signed third-round pick Tyler O'Neill to an above-slot $650K bonus (assigned value was $631K). O'Neill, a prep catcher from Canada, has drawn comparisons to Brett Lawrie because of his bat and power. He's likely to end up in the outfield.
- The Diamondbacks have signed third-round pick and first baseman/outfielder Daniel Palka for $550K, Callis tweets. Arizona secured the Georgia Tech product under slot, as the assigned pick value for the No. 88 slot was $603K. Palka has big power and a strong arm that could profile in right field, Callis adds.
- The Reds went over slot to sign their fifth-round pick, according to Callis (Twitter link), inking prep shortstop Cory Thompson for $367K (slot was $275K). Callis adds that Thompson is a solid runner with a good glove and some pop in his bat, but he also has a fastball in the low 90s.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock tweets that the Padres have signed 20 draft picks, including Hofstra right-hander Bryan Verbitsky (No. 86 overall), high school center fielder Mason Smith (No. 118) San Francisco right-hander Adam Cimber (No. 268) and UNC right-hander Justin Livengood (No. 298). The slot values for those picks are $621K, $433K, $146K and $134K, respectively.
- Two of those 20 picks that Brock mentions are Memphis lefty Erik Schoenrock (11th round) and junior college lefty Payton Baskette, tweets Callis. Each pick signed for an even $100K.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NL West Notes: Gonzalez, Dodgers, Padres
Here's a look at the latest out of the National League West..
- Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, who has drawn the attention of the Dodgers, has been declared a free agent and will have a showcase in Tijuana, Mexico on June 20th, a source tells Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Cubs, Rangers, Twins and Red Sox have also been linked to the promising hurler.
- Yasiel Puig is the talk of the baseball world and his Arizona League manager had some very high praise for him, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. "I said, 'He's [reigning NFL MVP] Adrian Peterson.' That's how much God-given ability this guy has," Martin said. "That's the comparison I had to give. He's Adrian Peterson."
- On the heels of the 2013 draft, MLB.com's Corey Brock took a peek into the Padres' war room. With the No. 13 overall pick in the draft, San Diego tapped Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe.
Padres Designate John Baker For Assignment
The Padres announced that they have designated catcher John Baker for assignment. In related moves, San Diego also reinstated infielder Logan Forsythe from the 60-day disabled list and placed infielder Jedd Gyorko on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain.
Baker, 32, played in 16 games for the Padres this season, hitting .150/.261/.150 in 46 plate appearances. Over parts of six Major League seasons with the Marlins (2008-11) and Padres (2012-13), Baker has hit .258/.342/.364.
Draft Notes: Appel, Red Sox, Shipley, Cardinals
The Astros had scouted Mark Appel for two years before making the Houston native the first overall selection in the 2013 amateur draft, reports Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. The Astros passed on the Stanford right-hander with the top pick in 2012, but Appel's stuff and performance were too much for the club to pass up this time around. Here's some more notes from the draft..
- The Red Sox expect to sign their first rounder Trey Ball (7th overall) and their second-round choice Teddy Stankiewicz (45th overall) to bonuses less than the slot recommendation, multiple industy sources have told WEEI.com's Alex Speier. This would allow the Red Sox to make an aggressive above slot offer to third-round selection Jon Denney, who was viewed as a likely first-round pick. Speier notes the high school catcher was invited to the day one broadcast of the draft on MLB Network and earned the distinction of being the only invited player not taken in the first two rounds. Denney, who has a commitment to Arkansas, was the 81st overall selection, which carries a slot recommendation of $671,200 (per Baseball America).
- The Diamondbacks prioritized advanced pitching and athleticism with their selections, writes Tyler Emerick of MLB.com. Diamondbacks scouting director Ray Montgomery was pleasantly surprised Braden Shipley was available when the club first picked at No. 15, since the Nevada right-hander was thought to go much earlier.
- The Cardinals focused on cost-certainty and upside, according to Chad Thornburg of MLB.com. The club approached the draft with a specific plan, and Cardinals scouting director Dan Kantrovitz was "thrilled" with the way things worked out, "Based on saving some money yesterday [Friday] through some more cost-certainty maneuvers, we could then translate that into some higher-upside guys early on [Saturday]."
- Although the Brewers did not have a pick in the first round as compensation for signing Kyle Lohse, the club was still excited about the pitching they found in the draft, notes Kevin Massoth of MLB.com. The Brewers selected high school right-hander Devin Williams with their first pick, No. 54 overall.
- Meanwhile the Padres like the hitting the club was able to snatch up over the last three days, reports Jamal Collier of MLB.com. The club used five of their first six selections on position players, including the 13th overall pick, Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.