AL East Notes: Bautista, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees
Over the weekend we learned that the Blue Jays are looking to upgrade their rotation as the deal with a rash of injuries. Toronto recently sent multiple scouts to at least two of Wandy Rodriguez’s starts and has also maintained contact with the Cubs about Matt Garza. Here's more on the Blue Jays and the rest of the AL East..
- Jose Bautista told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com that he wants to see the club make a big push at the deadline. "Let’s go for it,” Bautista said. “Hopefully, the change is made now. We’re in a position, in the middle of the season, to compete for a playoff spot. A lot of people maybe have forgotten about the extra wild card, but I certainly haven’t. There was a lot of talk about it in spring training, and I haven’t heard much since."
- The Rays signed Dominican catcher Erick Maria for $300K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Maria was known as Eric Otanez when he signed with Tampa Bay last year before the deal was declared ineligible thanks to an inaccurate birthdate. Maria has developed into a better prospect than he was a year ago but he appears to have remained loyal to the Rays to honor his original deal.
- No one realized exactly how important the Hiroki Kuroda signing would be for the Yankees this season, writes David Lennon of Newsday. Kuroda, who signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Bombers, has stepped up for the club in the wake of the ill-fated Michael Pineda trade.
Quick Hits: Thome, Blue Jays, Oliver, Orioles
Links as Friday turns into Saturday..
- As the Phillies look for a place to move Jim Thome, the Rays and Yankees are not interested, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Olney speculates (Twitter link) that the Orioles and Rangers could be solid fits for the veteran.
- Darren Oliver may be a name to watch for the Angels if the Blue Jays decide to be sellers at the deadline, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- The Orioles have agreed in principle with three of their top seven picks, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Second-round selection Branden Kline, Christian Walker (fourth), and Matthew Price (seven) all signed for their slot recommendation.
International Notes: Mets, Padres, Yankees
The international signing period begins next week, which means it won’t be long before teams can officially start locking up a new class of talented young players. Keep in mind that each team now operates with a $2.9MM budget and that deals won’t become official before next week. Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com has the latest on some bright young players and potential deals:
- It’s rumored that the Mets will sign Dominican shortstop Germán Ahmed Rosario, Rojas tweets. Rosario would obtain a bonus of roughly $1.7MM.
- The Blue Jays look to have the inside track with Venezuelan shortstop Franklin Barreto, Rojas writes.
- It's rumored that the Padres are a likely destination for Dominican third baseman Carlos Belén, Rojas tweets. Belén could sign for around $1MM.
- Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens could sign a lucrative deal with the Yankees, Rojas tweets.
- Dominican shortstop Wendell Rijo could sign with the Rays for $800K or so, Rojas tweets.
Heyman On Blue Jays, Soriano, Rays, Span, Headley
The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com…
- Several teams would target Edwin Encarnacion if the Blue Jays make him available in trades, Heyman writes. However, the Blue Jays’ main priority is putting together an effective and healthy rotation.
- Teams see Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs as a designated hitter, not an outfielder, Heyman writes. One general manager says the Cubs could trade Soriano if they absorb all but $2MM of his contract. The Cubs are indeed willing to pay a “very substantial portion” of the $45MM or so remaining on the contract, Heyman writes. One scout suggested the Rays could be a fit for Soriano, who seems willing to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a deal to a contender.
- The Twins are believed to be more willing to trade Denard Span than Josh Willingham, writes Heyman. They do not appear to be actively engaged in talks yet, but they would seek a young starting pitcher in return for Span.
- The Dodgers are one of several teams inquiring about Chase Headley, writes Heyman. The Padres are willing to listen on their third baseman and Heyman says they will consider intra-division trades.
Minor Moves: Yankees, Angels, Guzman, Bogaerts
Today's minor moves..
- The Yankees released Double-A right-hander Adam Miller, tweets Josh Norris of The Trentonian. Miller was ranked as Baseball America's #16 prospect after the 2004 season.
- Right-hander Ysmael Carmona was released by the Angels, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). Carmona made the club's 40-man roster after the 2010 season but has struggled with shoulder issues ever since.
- The Reds released Double-A first baseman Joel Guzman, Eddy tweets. The 27-year-old last appeared in the majors with the Rays in 2007.
- The Cubs cut first baseman Jair Bogaerts, the twin brother of Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts, according to Eddy (via Twitter). Bogaerts came to Chicago as a throw-in in the Theo Epstein compensation trade.
- The Indians released outfielder Ben Copeland, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. The fourth-round pick in 2005 was a former member of the Giants farm system.
- The Pirates have traded minor league right-hander Shairon Martis to the Twins, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel also tweets that the two sides have yet to work out what the Pittsburgh will receive in return. Martis, 25, has a 4.96 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 15 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A. The hurler also appeared in 20 games for the Nationals in 2008 and 2009.
East Links: Braves, Rays, Marlins
Eight of the 18 big league teams with a .500 or better record reside in the two East divisions. Here's the latest from the AL and NL East…
- The Braves have discussed using money budgeted for 2013 to make a trade this year according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). Atlanta could be on the hunt for pitching with Brandon Beachy injured and Mike Minor/Randall Delgado experiencing growing pains.
- "It's not by design that we have somebody different lead us in saves each year," said Rays GM Andrew Friedman to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. "It's dictated by resources. We have 'X' amount to allocate to field the most competitive roster we can. We can't afford to pay a guy $10 million or $12 million a year to throw 70 innings, so our approach is to have as many good, high-upside arms as we can and figure that one will fall out."
- “I know who these guys are … I’m not a person who panics. I know what we did to put together this team," said Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports about his 34-38 club. Loria also rejected the idea that members of the coaching staff could be in danger of losing their jobs.
Pirates Claim Sutton Off Waivers From Rays
The Pirates announced that they have claimed infielder Drew Sutton off of waivers from the Rays. This marks a return of sorts for Sutton, who spent less than 24 hours as a member of the Pirates last month.
On May 20th, Atlanta sent Sutton to the Bucs for cash considerations and the infielder was flipped to Tampa Bay the next afternoon for a player to be named later. The 28-year-old was designated for assignment by the Rays on Friday. Sutton posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for the Rays in 2012.
Draft Notes: Astros, Ruiz, Virant, Rays, Tigers
Earlier today we learned that the Astros signed fourth-round pick Rio Ruiz for $1.85MM, well over the slot recommendation for his pick. Here's more on Ruiz and today's other draft signings..
- Ruiz's signing effectively ends any chance Houston had of inking eleventh-rounder Hunter Virant, writes Jim Callis of Baseball America. The California high school left-hander dropped in the draft because of his demand for a seven-figure bonus.
- Rays second-round selection Spencer Edwards announced via Twitter that he has signed with the club. The Texas high school shortstop was tabbed with the No. 88 pick.
- The Tigers have agreed to terms with the club's 23rd round draft selection, right-hander Drew Harrison, according to Director of Media Relations Brian Britten (via Twitter). The University of Oklahoma product stands at 6'4" and was once a coveted prospect for his ability at the plate.
Draft Signings: Flexen, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Nats
The deadline for signing draft picks is just three weeks away, now that it’s been moved up under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here are the latest noteworthy signings from the second round of the draft and on…
- The Mets gave 14th round pick Chris Flexen an above slot $374,400 bonus, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). The high school right-hander is represented by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
- The Dodgers signed third rounder Onelki Garcia for an under-slot $382K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Cuban southpaw owns a 90-93 mph fastball and a good curveball according to Callis.
- The Dodgers also signed eighth rounder Scott Griggs for $135K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The UCLA right-hander received the full slot value.
- The Yankees signed third round selection Nathan Mikolas for $400K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school first baseman has a very good bat and some power potential, according to Callis.
- The Rays signed third round selection Andrew Toles for $397K, Callis tweets. The speedy outfielder is a strong defender in center field, Callis writes.
- The Nationals announced that they signed third rounder Brett Mooneyham, a left-hander out of Stanford University. Amanda Comak of The Washington Times says (on Twitter) that he received $429K.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Rays Designate Drew Sutton For Assignment
The Rays designated infielder Drew Sutton for assignment, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets. The Rays claimed Brooks Conrad off of waivers, reinstated Jeff Keppinger from the disabled list, recalled Brandon Gomes, placed Matt Joyce on the disabled list and optioned Rich Thompson to Triple-A in related moves.
The Rays acquired Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named about a month ago, shortly after the Pirates acquired him from the Braves. Sutton, 28, posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for the Rays this year. The four-year MLB veteran played first, second and third base.