International Signings: Mariners, D’Backs, Red Sox
Here are today's international signings, with the newest moves at the top of the page…
- The Mariners have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Luis Rengifo, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports. Rengifo is a 5'10", 165-pound switch-hitter "who impressed scouts with his bat control and performance against live pitching," Badler writes.
- The Diamondbacks confirmed the signings of catcher Jose Herrera ($1.06MM bonus) third baseman Josue Herrera ($150K) and outfielder Francis Martinez ($350K) today, and also announced the signings of Dominican right-hander Argency Hiciano ($70K), Dominican outfielder Jose Lopez ($200K) and Venezuelan infielder Didimo Bracho ($80K). MLB.com's Tyler Emerick reported the dollar figures, and also notes that the D'Backs have spent $1.91MM of their approximately $2.356MM international bonus pool.
- The Red Sox have signed Dominican outfielder Yoan Aybar, WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports. Aybar, 16, is a 6'2", 165-pound left-handed hitter who didn't make Baseball America's list of the top 30 international prospects but made their list of honorable mentions. BA's Ben Badler says Aybar is a raw hitting prospect "but he’ll have to make adjustments to get better against live pitching." Aybar's throwing arm is strong enough that he could be converted to pitching if he can't develop his bat.
Rosenthal On Buyers/Sellers, Arrieta, Ruggiano
Ken Rosenthal's latest column for FOX Sports begins with a look at the Phillies, Giants, Rockies, Padres, and Blue Jays, five teams currently on the bubble of buying and selling. The Padres have been eager to buy, rival executives tell Rosenthal. Other notes from the article:
- Rosenthal provides insight into the July 2011 three-team deal that sent Erik Bedard to Boston. As it turns out, the Dodgers are looking pretty good now with big leaguers Stephen Fife and Tim Federowicz. At the time of the deal, they were questioned for including Trayvon Robinson.
- "I thought it was an awesome trade by the Cubs," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis told Rosenthal of Chicago's acquisition of Jake Arrieta from Baltimore.
- The Reds have "thinned out their talent base" in trades over the last several years, opines Rosenthal, which could make significant acquisitions this summer difficult.
- The Rangers and Yankees are among the teams that have expressed interest in Marlins outfielder Justin Ruggiano. Ruggiano, a 31-year-old right-handed hitter, is at .225/.290/.414 in 273 plate appearances this year.
- The Mariners have put a high price tag on Tom Wilhelmsen and it seems like they want to keep the closer in the fold. Rosenthal notes that another team recently asked about Wilhelmsen and the M's wanted that club's top pitching prospect in return.
Mariners Designate Jeremy Bonderman For Assignment
The Mariners designated starter Jeremy Bonderman for assignment, according to a team press release. They also recalled lefty Lucas Luetge.
Bonderman, 30, had his contract purchased by the Mariners in June, at which point he made his first MLB start since October 2010. After 63 2/3 lackluster Triple-A innings, Bonderman posted a 4.93 ERA, 3.8 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 0.94 HR/9, and 42.5% groundball rate in seven starts for Seattle. Bonderman had elbow surgery in April 2012 and signed a minor league deal with his home-state Mariners in December of that year.
Bonderman was drafted 26th overall by the Athletics out of high school in '01, and was quickly traded to the Tigers as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Carlos Pena to Detroit, Ted Lilly to the Athletics, and Jeff Weaver to the Yankees. After just 27 minor league starts, Bonderman debuted for the Tigers in '03 at age 20. He had an upward trajectory until shoulder surgery derailed his career.
Orioles Acquire Alex Liddi
The Orioles have acquired Alex Liddi from the Mariners, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). In the swap, the M’s also sent their No. 3 international slot to Orioles and received the O’s international signing slot No. 2. To make room for Liddi on the 40-man roster, Baltimore announced that they have designated Russ Canzler for assignment.
Baltimore’s No. 2 international slot is $351,200 and Seattle’s No. 3 slot is $277,500 and the swap adds an extra $73,700 to Seattle’s pool, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (on Twitter).
Seattle designated Liddi for assignment towards the end of June in order to promote shortstop Brad Miller. The infielder posted a .263/.322/.454 slash line over his 262 plate appearances in Triple-A this year but wasn’t as strong in 188 major league plate appearances.
Canzler, 27, has 29 big league games to his credit between 2011 and 2012. In 86 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, the infielder/outfielder has slashed .276/.369/.430.
AL Notes: Mariners, White Sox, Astros, Blue Jays
Here are a few trade notes from around the American League:
- As we approach the trade deadline with the Mariners looking more like sellers than buyers, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times took a look back at GM Jack Zduriencik's recent history at the deadline. Beginning with an ill-fated swap of a young Michael Morse for Ryan Langerhans and featuring the retrospectively painful Doug Fister deal, the net return to Seattle has not been terribly productive.
- This year, the Mariners could be in a position to deal some relievers. Last night, we took a look at FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal's breakdown of potentially available NL relievers. Tonight, let's look at the AL crop. From the M's, Rosenthal says that veteran lefty Oliver Perez is the most likely to be dealt, with Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen also prime candidates. The latter two, however, will likely command a high price given that Furbush may just be reaching arbitration after this season as a Super Two, while Wilhelmsen will not reach arbitration until after the 2014 campaign.
- Rosenthal also pegs the White Sox and Astros as sellers with attractive bullpen pieces. Chicago could swing a trade for stud reliever Jesse Crain if he can return in time to prove his health; otherwise, both Matt Thornton and Matt Lindstrom could hold some appeal. (Both of the latter two pitchers come with club options for 2014.) For Houston, meanwhile, the prime trade chip among its relief corps is unquestionably closer Jose Veras, who is cheap, strikes out a lot of hitters, and has been solid in late-inning work this year.
- One other team that should look to the future, according to FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi, is the Blue Jays. With the club again fading after its recent resurgence, Morosi says Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos faces a "virtually impossible" task to right the ship before the trade deadline. Rather than selling out for this season, says Morosi, the Jays should look to shore up the team's rotation to make a run in 2014 and 2015.
- Sticking with the Jays, Morosi says that Josh Johnson — occasionally noted as a potential trade candidate earlier in the year — has been "perhaps the team's greatest disappointment this year." Johnson currently carries a 4.89 ERA in 53 1/3 innings; his walk rate is below his career average at 3.4 BB/9, though he is striking batters out at a strong 9.1 K/9 clip. At this point, Morosi suggests, Toronto may be best served by shipping Johnson back to the National League rather than looking to try and bring him back next year.
Mariners Sign Greifer Andrade
MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez tweets that the Mariners have signed Venezuelan Greifer Andrade for a bonus of $1.05MM. While Andrade showcased for teams as an outfielder, he will begin his career as a shortstop and could possibly move to third base, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. Andrade ranked as MLB.com's No. 20 international prospect and was No. 21 on Badler's Top 30 list.
The 16-year-old Andrade draws praise for his hand-eye coordination, bat speed and strong throwing arm in MLB.com's scouting report. Badler writes he doesn't have the speed to stay in center and lacks the power profile to fit as a corner outfielder, so the move to the infield makes him a more intriguing prospect. Badler noted in his Top 30 profile that scouts have wondered if Andrade could transition to catcher as well.
The Mariners began the international free agency period with a bonus pool of $2.58MM, according to Baseball America.
Rosenthal’s Latest: M’s, Yanks, Roenicke, Rays, Cubs
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a lengthy new article discussing All-Stars, some of the game's top young hitters and a plethora of hot stove info. Here are some highlights…
- Rival executives around the league are critical of the Mariners for rushing their top prospects, but Rosenthal notes that Nick Franklin has been more than up to the challenge, and Brad Miller earned his promotion with his minor league performance. Regarding the struggling Mike Zunino, GM Jack Zduriencik told Rosenthal: "We planned all along to get Mike to Seattle at some point in July … He wasn't expected to be a big contributor offensively if it was now, July, September … but he has held his own, and what he is receiving now will set him up for 2014 and beyond."
- Multiple scouts have questioned the work ethic of the Brewers' players, with one telling Rosenthal "there's a lot of quit on that team." Rosenthal writes that it isn't manager Ron Roenicke's fault that Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Aramis Ramirez have been injured, but the negative reports could be an "ominous sign" for Roenicke. Rosenthal tweets a correction, noting that Roenicke is signed through 2014, not through 2013 as he initially reported.
- The Yankees aren't planning a fire sale, but if they did, they'd have some of the most attractive trade chips in the game. The Yankees could part with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, however, and Rosenthal adds Curtis Granderson's name to the mix, assuming the injured outfielder gets healthy in time.
- The Rays aren't looking to add a starting pitcher with both David Price and Alex Cobb likely to return in the near future. If the Rays make any moves at all, they'll be for impact players regardless of position.
- The Cubs are "all but certain" to trade pending free agents Matt Garza, Kevin Gregg and Scott Feldman, but they're not in a rush to deal Nate Schierholtz and David DeJesus, both of whom are controlled beyond 2013.
Quick Hits: Buxton, Gonzalez, Cardinals, Reds, Kinney
“I am positive he’s the best prospect I’ve seen in (more than a decade) of full-time scouting,” a National League scout raved to Baseball America's J.J. Cooper about Twins prospect Byron Buxton. “It’s not even close. Tools, athleticism, feel and vision. Time will tell what kind of major league player he becomes, but the sky is the limit.” Other scouts shared similar praise and there's even a belief that Buxton is as good a prospect as Mike Trout was before his legendary 2012 season.
Here's the latest from around the majors as we head into July…
- Buxton was taken second overall by the Twins in the 2012 draft, with the Astros passing on the outfielder to select Carlos Correa at #1 and then using their surplus bonus pool money to sign Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz. Cooper surveys scouts who have been all four youngsters play and discovers that the majority would take Buxton alone over the other three, even though Correa/McCullers/Ruiz are themselves strong prospects.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos watched Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez pitch on Friday in Tijuana, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (Twitter link). The Jays made a high-profile signing out of Cuba three years ago when they signed shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a four-year, $10MM contract.
- Two Cardinals officials say that trading within the NL Central is "not desirable" and GM John Mozeliak said that the club isn't going to move top prospects like Oscar Taveras or Michael Wacha, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Cards are likely to look for relief help before the deadline, or perhaps a starter that would then send a current rotation member into the bullpen.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer chimed in on some Reds-related trade deadline discussion on Twitter this afternoon. Finding relief pitching is the priority for the Reds and it's doubtful that they're looking for starters. Prospects Billy Hamilton and Robert Stephenson are probably untouchable in trade talks. White Sox reliever Jesse Crain is a realistic trade target for Cincinnati, while Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo and Mariners slugger Michael Morse are not.
- Mariners right-hander Josh Kinney was listed on the Tacoma Rainiers roster today, Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto tweets, so it appears as though Kinney has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A. Kinney has been recovering from a rib injury for the entire season and was just reinstated from the 60-day DL on Friday.
Rosenthal On Rios, Pirates, Lucroy, Reds
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posted a brand new edition of Full Count. Here's a look at the highlights..
- The Pirates should be in the market for a reliever, but their biggest need might be in right field where they rank last in the National League in OPS. The White Sox's Alex Rios would be perfect and he would form an extremely athletic outfield with Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. However, Rios makes $12.5MM in each of the next two years and two other possibilities, Michael Morse and David DeJesus, are on the DL. The Bucs are in a tricky spot because they want to improve but they don't want to disrupt their chemistry or budding farm system.
- The Brewers will move just about anybody, but not catcher Jonathan Lucroy because they consider him too valuable to their future. They kept suitors away last winter and this season he has full no-trade protection.
- The Reds will stay open minded about acquiring a pitcher because of the uncertainty surrounding Johnny Cueto. They've got Tony Cingrani to turn to, but they'll need to monitor his innings.
- A scout told Rosenthal that the Rays had a ton of eyes on the Rangers' farm system, fueling speculation that a David Price deal might be brewing, but that's not the case. Price is about to return from a triceps injury and Tampa Bay is trying to win. Barring an outright collapse, they are not even going to entertain the thought of moving the hurler until the offseason. With that said, Texas has long had interest in Price and if/when he becomes available, they'll be at the front of the line.
Orioles Acquire Eric Thames
The Orioles announced that they have acquired outfielder Eric Thames from the Mariners in exchange for minor league infielder Ty Kelly. Thames was designated for assignment earlier this month to clear a 40-man roster spot for fellow outfielder Franklin Gutierrez.
Thames hopes that a change of scenery will lead to his first big league game in 2013. In his time with Triple-A Tacoma, Thames posted a slash line of .295/.382/.479 across 249 plate appearances. In 684 career major league PAs, Thames has hit .250/.296/.431.
Kelly, who turns 25 in July, has hit 283/.389/.382 in 72 games for the O's Double-A affiliate. The switch-hitter has spent the bulk of his time at second base and third base with some experience in the outfield.