Mariners Sign Blanco, Release Shoppach
THURSDAY: The Mariners have released Shoppach, MLB.com's Greg Johns tweets. Shoppach is now on release waivers, and teams have until Saturday to decide whether to claim him.
FRIDAY: The Mariners have issued a press release announcing that they have signed veteran Henry Blanco to a Major League contract and designated Kelly Shoppach for assignment.
Blanco, 41, is joining his 11th different Major League team. The veteran hit just .184/.262/.263 in 15 games (43 plate appearances) for the Blue Jays this season before being designated for assignment and ultimately released on Tuesday. He's seen time with the Cubs, D-backs, Braves, Brewers, Twins, Mets, Rockies, Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays previously. Blanco owns a career batting line of .226/.291/.366.
Shoppach, 33, hit .196/.293/.346 with three homers in 35 games for the Mariners this season. He's been leaned upon heavily since the demotion of Jesus Montero, but rookie Mike Zunino figures to get the lion's share of playing time from this point forward. In his career, the right-handed-hitting Shoppach has hit .261/.355/.501 in 641 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
AL Notes: Yankees, A’s, Royals, White Sox, Mariners
With the Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly at Yankee Stadium today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman discussed the process that resulted in Yanks' manager Joe Girardi getting the gig over Donnie Baseball back in 2007. Cashman considered those two gentlemen along with fellow late-80's/early-90's favorite Tony Pena. Managing the Yankees, explains Cashman, requires a wide range of skills that go well beyond the playing field. Ultimately, he said that Mattingly lacked the managerial experience that he was looking for: "The area that was a very difficult hurdle for him at the time, and obviously he doesn't have that anymore to deal with, is obviously at the time, he hadn't managed a game in the big leagues. So was I going to be in a position to be comfortable enough to turn over $200 million worth of assets to someone who hadn't done that before in-game."
Here are a few notes from some other American League clubs:
- The City of San Jose has brought suit against Major League Baseball relating to the Athletics' potential move to the city, alleging various federal and state antitrust claims along with a claim for interference with prospective economic advantage. In a piece for Fangraphs yesterday, Wendy Thurm gave an excellent overview of the background legal principles governing the dispute, along with the procedural and strategic considerations that will frame it. The situation could, of course, have a major impact on the A's budget moving forward. I highly recommend a read.
- Moving to the AL Central, Fangraphs' Jeff Sullivan took a look at the Royals' impressive recent run of pitching-fueled success. Even as the team's offense continues to sputter, its starters (and excellent defense) have allowed KC to regain traction in the postseason race. Of course, the squad's rotation is led by arms that were acquired in a series of heavily-scrutinized transactions. GM Dayton Moore traded for James Shields and Wade Davis, dealt for Ervin Santana, and gave a three-year deal to free agent Jeremy Guthrie. While Davis has struggled and Guthrie's peripherals are concerning, the collective rotation ERA stands at 7th in baseball.
- As the Royals gear up to try and make a run at the playoffs, the AL Central-rival White Sox appear to be readying to sell at the trade deadline. As MLB.com's Kelly Erickson reports, GM Rick Hahn says the team has "had some phone calls — more of the vulture-type phone calls, the type that traditionally we're more accustomed to making." Given the "hole that we've dug for ourselves," says Hahn, "teams are going to look at us as potential sellers when the deadline comes, and they're starting to lay a little bit of that ground work now."
- The Mariners are coming up on some roster decisions with Dustin Ackley hitting the ball well in Triple-A and Franklin Gutierrez close to returning from the 60-day DL, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. While Ackley's return to the bigs has been delayed while he learns to man the outfield, the seemingly inevitable result will be some roster casualties. Baker tabs outfielder Endy Chavez and pitcher Aaron Harang as potential candidates for the waiver wire.
Draft Signings: Evans, Armstrong, Horstman
Here are today's most notable signings from Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft (slot information courtesy of Baseball America)…
- The Royals signed fourth round draft pick Zane Evans, Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets. Evans signed for $400K, below the $450.4K assigned slot value for the 114th overall pick. Evans was both a catcher and a right-handed relief pitcher at Georgia Tech and Callis believes Kansas City will use him as a catcher.
- The Reds have signed third-rounder Mark Armstrong, Callis reports (via Twitter). Armstrong, a high school right-hander who had committed to Pitt, signed for exactly his assigned slot value of $496K.
- The Mariners have signed St. John's left-hander Ryan Horstman, Callis reports (via Twitter). Horstman, one of the few college freshmen eligible for the draft, was taken in the fourth round by the M's and signed for $550K, a significant bump up from his slotted price of $437.6K.
- Junior college right-hander Kenyan Middleton tweeted that he has officially signed with the Angels earlier today. Middleton, the No. 95 overall pick, is advised by Tripper Johnson of Sosnick & Cobbe. His slot carries an assigned pick value of $541K.
- The Cardinals signed third-rounder Mike Mayers for a little more than a $500K bonus — about $58K below his assigned pick value — according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Mayers is a right-hander out of Ole Miss.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Phillies signed fourth-rounder Jake Sweaney for $400K. Sweaney's deal is $21K below slot. The high school catcher was committed to Oregon and has a plus arm with power potential in his bat.
- The Twins signed third-rounder Stuart Turner for a $550K bonus that is well below the No. 78 pick's assigned value of $703K, Callis tweets. The Mississipi backstop was regarded as the best catch-and-throw college catcher in this year's draft, and Callis notes that he had a strong year at the plate too.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports that the Cardinals have agreed to an over-slot deal with 10th-rounder Malik Collymore. The Canadian high school second baseman will receive a $275K signing bonus, which is significantly larger than the recommended $135K.
- Eleventh-round selection Spencer Navin also received a significantly over-slot deal, tweets Callis. The Dodgers gave the Vanderbilt backstop $300K — three times the $100K maximum for draft picks after the 10th round. Players drafted after the 10th round don't count toward a team's bonus pool as long as they sign for $100K or less. In other words, the $200K excess to sign Navin will count against the Dodgers' draft pool.
- The Astros have signed fourth-round pick Conrad Gregor for a bonus of $482K, tweets Callis. The Vanderbilt first baseman has good patience and athleticism but has yet to tap into his power, Callis adds. Gregor signed for full slot value.
AL West Notes: Ramirez, Iwakuma, Astros, Angels
The latest out of the AL West…
- Erasmo Ramirez has hurled 15 consecutive scoreless innings in Triple-A Tacoma, and Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner writes that it's time for him to be recalled and inserted back into the Mariners' rotation. However, he notes that both Jeremy Bonderman and Aaron Harang are coming off dominant outings against a weak Astros lineup, so cutting either would look bad for the team.
- While some pundits believe that now is the time to sell Hisashi Iwakuma at his peak value, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times writes that the Mariners are better off hanging onto their second ace. As Stone points out, GM Jack Zduriencik has whiffed on trades of established pitchers for young hitters in the past, and Iwakuma is too far from free agency to part with (he's controlled through 2015).
- Things look bleak for the Astros at the Major League level currently, but Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle writes that hope is on the horizon. Smith examines the wealth of talent at Double-A Corpus Christi, highlighted by Jonathan Singleton, George Springer and Mike Foltynewicz. Smith also discusses pitchers Jake Buchanan and David Martinez as well as left fielder Domingo Santana, whom he calls the team's "most underrated position-player prospect."
- Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that trading prospects for short-term fixes has hurt the Angels, and notes the irony of GM Jerry Dipoto's situation. Dipoto was the interim GM of the D-backs when he traded Dan Haren to the Halos for a package highlighted by Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin. Dipoto recalls the "bloodbath" that ensued in the Arizona media, who essentially called the deal highway robbery for the Angels. Dipoto tells Saxon that he was adamant Corbin be included the deal, noting that he and his staff had followed Corbin since his early days in junior college.
Minor Moves: Slama, LaRoche, Bantz, Madrigal
Today's minor moves:
- The Twins have released right-handed reliever Anthony Slama to make 40-man room for recently-signed righty Cody Eppley, tweets Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Slama has not seen MLB action since 2011. He struggled to a 13.50 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate this season, including an unsightly 0.64 K/BB ratio.
- The Blue Jays outrighted Andy LaRoche to their Triple-A affiliate after he cleared waivers, according to a press release. Toronto designated LaRoche for assignment two days ago to clear a roster spot for Chien-Ming Wang. The 29-year-old appeared in just one game for the Jays this season and went 0-for-4.
- The Mariners announced that they have outrighted Brandon Bantz to Triple-A Tacoma. The catcher was DFA's earlier this week after playing in just one game for the varsity squad.
- The Diamondbacks have sold right-handed reliever Warner Madrigal to Japan's Chunichi Dragons for an undisclosed sum, the team announced in a press release. The 29-year-old had been solid this year at Triple-A Reno, where he sported a 2.75 ERA in 36 innings of work and maintained a 10.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Zunino, Tigers, Ishikawa, Astros
The Mariners' promotion of Mike Zunino will give the club some 40-man roster issues down the line, writes Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner. While none of the players on the chopping block for future roster shuffling project to be superstars, "the reality is that if you toss a half dozen fringe prospects overboard, you’re going to end up regretting it," Cameron writes. Here's more from around baseball..
- The Tigers have been looking hard for a closer and will continue to do so, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Jose Valverde had a rough outing today versus the Royals as he surrendered a game-tying two run homer in the bottom of the ninth to Lorenzo Cain.
- Travis Ishikawa can opt out of his deal with the Orioles soon and Dan Duquette wouldn't be surprised if he lands a big league job, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Tim Dierkes first learned that the first baseman can opt out of his minor league deal on Saturday.
- Michael Foltynewicz is evolving into the Astros' best pitching prospect, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2010 draft entered the season as the No. 5 prospect in the club’s farm system, according to Baseball America, and he has only added to his buzz since then.
- The Angels considered drafting former Florida football star Tim Tebow years ago but he had to be scrubbed from the draft board when he didn't send a completed information card to them, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- It's too early to determine who will and won't be available at the trade deadline this year, opines Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
Mariners Sign D.J. Peterson
The Mariners and first round pick D.J. Peterson have reached agreement on a deal, sources tell Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Peterson, who is being advised by Excel Sports Management, will get $2.759MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter). 
That amount matches the suggested value for the No. 12 pick.
The M's previously drafted the third baseman in the 33rd round of the 2010 draft but couldn't come to terms with him on a contract. Seattle reportedly gave him a very generous offer to sign at the time, but it cost them considerably more this time around.
Peterson played a good amount of first base this season out of necessity for New Mexico but was adamant in a conference call with reporters, including Stone, that he wants to remain at third base. The youngster says that his improved range should help him stick in the hot corner.
The third baseman was ranked No. 11 in this year's class by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and No. 12 on BA's top 500. Keith Law of ESPN.com had him ranked No. 34 on his top 100 list.
Photo courtesy of the University of New Mexico communications department.
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.
Quick Hits: Sizemore, Mets, Zunino
While major league players implicated in the Biogenesis scandal have yet to provide substantive information to MLB, multiple minor leaguers have discussed their transactions with Anthony Bosch's clinic in detail, sources with knowledge of the interviews told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. "Players aren't going to say anything – until they know what [Bosch] said," one source with knowledge of the players' plan said. "There's nothing to be gained from talking now. As long as they don't say anything, they're not lying." Here's more from around baseball..
- Free agent Grady Sizemore is still "a ways away from getting on the field," a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). We heard last week that there's a "strong belief" that the Twins will have interest in the outfielder when he's ready to return to action.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson believes that the club will have a $90-100MM payroll in 2014, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Alderson estimates that they have roughly $55MM in commitments for next season, which should give them flexibility over the winter.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik did his best to downplay the hype surrounding Mike Zunino when he spoke with reporters earlier today, writes Ryan Divish of The News Tribune.
Draft Signings: Athletics, Angels, Rangers
Over the next month, MLBTR will be keeping track of as many significant draft signings as possible. Here's your Tuesday rundown of notable draft bonuses (all slot information courtesy of Baseball America's assigned pick value list)…
- The A's inked 25 of their picks today, including third-round pick Chris Kohler, according to Callis (Twitterlinks). The high school left hander got a $486K bonus from Oakland.
- The Angels signed sixth-rounder Harrison Cooney for a little under $223K, according to BA's Jim Callis (on Twitter). The Florida Gulf Coast right-hander's salary is exactly in line with the slot recommendation for the No. 187 pick.
- The Rangers have officially signed ninth-round pick Jose Samayoa, MLBTR has learned. The right-hander is one of three Lee University pitchers drafted inside of the first eleven rounds.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis reports (on Twitter) that the Braves have signed sixth-round pick Stephen Janas. The Kennesaw State right-hander recovered from Tommy John surgery successfully this season and features a sinker clocked in the high 80s. Janas signed for the exact slot value of the 193rd pick — $210,200.
- The Mariners have signed 11th-rounder Zack Littell for a bonus of exactly $100K, tweets Callis. Littell is a high school righty out of North Carolina who's touched 92 mph with his heater and can throw his curve for strikes, according to Callis. He was committed to Appalachian State prior to signing. Littell's $100K bonus is the most teams are allowed to spend on players in rounds 11-40 without that money counting against their allotted bonus pool for the Top 10 rounds.
Zach Links contributed to this post.