- Likewise, the Blue Jays outrighted their own recent designee, southpaw Scott Diamond, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). The 29-year-old only saw one game with the big club in his first MLB action since 2013. He had been pitching well at Triple-A, carrying a 3.16 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 over 12 starts.
Blue Jays Rumors
Blue Jays Sign First-Rounder T.J. Zeuch
The Blue Jays have agreed to a $2.175MM bonus with first-round pick T.J. Zeuch, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports on Twitter. Toronto will save $110,100 against the slot value of the 21st pick.
A towering righty out of the University of Pittsburgh, Zeuch drew mixed reviews from prospect evaluators. ESPN.com’s Keith Law rated him 38th, explaining that the collegiate junior’s secondary pitches aren’t as exciting as his body, mechanics, and velocity.
Other analysts were more optimistic. Baseball America was particularly high on him, ranking him 20th on its draft board, citing the same considerations but attributing more value to the solid building blocks. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis placed him 28th.
In announcing the deal, Toronto noted that it has also locked up most of its other top selections. JB Woodman (57th overall), Bo Bichette (66th), Joshua Palacios (132nd), and Cavan Biggio (162nd) are among the new Jays prospects under contract.
Blue Jays Place Jose Bautista On 15-Day DL
2:59pm: Bautista has been diagnosed with a sprained toe, Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star tweets. Though he’s wearing a walking boot, there does not appear to be any concern that he has suffered a fracture.
2:50pm: The Blue Jays have placed star outfielder Jose Bautista on the 15-day DL, according to Barry Davis of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Darrell Ceciliani has been called up to replace him on the active roster.
As Sportsnet’s Kristina Rutherford reported earlier today, Bautista had been dealing with a hip flexor issue and then injured his left big toe in a collision with the outfield wall last night. It’s not yet clear whether either injury is worse than had been hoped, or whether he’s just going to get a rest to allow both to heal up.
Toronto’s bats have come alive of late, even as Bautista’s own production has sagged a bit after a huge first month. Still, the 35-year-old is carrying a .230/.360/.455 slash with a dozen home runs on the year. He has racked up a league-leading 48 walks while striking out just 49 times, so there’s every reason to believe he’ll continue to provide top-line production when he returns.
Needless to say, the 25-year-old Ceciliani won’t be expected to replace Bautista’s offensive output. He struggled in a brief stint last year with the Mets, and has continued to post meager numbers this year at Triple-A.
As the updated Blue Jays depth chart at RosterResource.com shows, Ceciliani will likely move to the bottom of the outfield rotation, with additional opportunities opening up for Ezequiel Carrera.
It’s an unfortunate loss for the Jays, who have climbed to within striking distance of the AL East lead. Unless the matter is much more serious than has been reported to date, though, Toronto will hope to fill in with internal options until Bautista makes his way back.
Blue Jays Will Face Competition On Trade Market
- The Blue Jays could find themselves competing against the majority of their own division for pitching help on the summer trade market, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. The Red Sox and Orioles, in particular, need rotation help and could challenge the Jays as they look to fortify their own collection of starters. The fact that right-hander Aaron Sanchez will inevitably move to the bullpen to limit his innings looms large over the Blue Jays, Nicholson-Smith notes, and while that move (plus the return of Brett Cecil) could eliminate a separate need for relief help, the Blue Jays are light on depth in the rotation. Right-hander Drew Hutchison is throwing well at Triple-A and is expected to return to the rotation later this summer, but as Nicholson-Smith points out, any injury to a starter after Hutchison’s return would severely compromise the team’s depth. Veteran lefty Wade LeBlanc is probably the next line of defense, and while he’s throwing brilliantly in Triple-A (1.51 ERA in 83 2/3 innings), his track record in the Majors is fairly limited.
Draft Signings: 6/16/2016
There are a lot of notable draft deals to work through from the last two days. Among them:
- Blue Jays second-rounder Bo Bichette announced that he’s signed a deal, which Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets is for a $1.1MM bonus. A son of long-time big leaguer Dante Bichette, the high-school shortstop landed above the $978,600 value at the 66th overall pick. Fellow second-rounder J.B. Woodman inked for $975K, Callis adds on Twitter. An outfielder from Mississippi, he also will deliver some savings to Toronto. The 57th selection came with a $1.124MM slot value. The Jays also added third-round pick Zach Jackson, Callis tweets. The Arkansas righty signed for $540K, leaving the team with $45,100 in savings.
- Another second-round pick who’s ready for a minor league assignment is C.J. Chatham, who goes to the Red Sox for $1.1MM, per MLB.com (via Twitter). Chosen 51st overall, the Florida Atlantic shortstop rated just outside the top 100 per Baseball America. His signing saves the club $132,800 against the slot value.
- The Brewers agreed with second-rounder Lucas Erceg for $1.15MM, Callis reports on Twitter. The Menlo College third baseman rated 47th on the draft board of ESPN.com’s Keith Law. He was taken 46th overall, which came with an allocation of $1,386,900.
- The Twins are in agreement with second-rounder Ben Rortvedt on a $900K bonus, per another Callis tweet. Minnesota saves $241,600 against the slot value while adding the Wisconsin high school backstop. Cotillo tweets that Twins third-rounder Griffin Jax, a righty from the Air Force Academy, has agreed to an at-slot, $645.6K bonus.
- The Dodgers agreed to a $590,800 bonus with second-round pick Mitch White, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. The Santa Clara righty ended up going for over $400K less than the 65th pick’s pool allocation, so Los Angeles can put that money to work in other areas.
- Rays third-round choice Austin Franklin signed for a $600K bonus that falls a bit shy of the $676,200 slot value, Callis tweets. Franklin is a high-school righty out of Florida.
- The Royals have an above-slot deal with third-rounder Khalil Lee, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, though the exact bonus isn’t known. Taken with the 103rd selection, the Virginia high school outfielder rated 121st on BA’s board.
- The Athletics have locked up third-rounder Sean Murphy for an at-slot, $753,100 bonus, Callis tweets. Baseball America had rated him 63rd among draft-eligible prospects, but Oakland got him with the 83rd pick.
- Bryson Brigman appears to be in agreement with the Mariners for $700K, just under the $708,200 slot value, per a tweet from Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. A shortstop from the University of San Diego, Brigman went 87th overall.
- The Giants have given an at-slot, $625,900 bonus to Heath Quinn, Callis tweets. The power-hitting Samford outfielder was taken with the team’s third-round selection.
- The Cardinals signed fourth-rounder Jeremy Martinez, a catcher from the University of Southern California, for $600K, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. That lands over the $421,600 allocation that came with the 136th selection in the draft.
- Brewers fourth-round selection Corbin Burnessigned for a slot bonus of $536,400, Callis tweets. A righty from St. Mary’s, Burnes took the 57th slot on the Baseball America draft chart on the basis of improving velocity and the possibility of sticking as a starter.
Blue Jays Designate Scott Diamond
The Blue Jays have designated lefty Scott Diamond for assignment, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports on Twitter.
Diamond, 29, had appeared in only a single game for Toronto, surrendering three earned runs in one inning. That represents his first big league action since 2013, when Diamond wrapped up a three-year run with the Twins. Over 343 innings with Minnesota, all as a starter, Diamond worked to a 4.43 ERA with 4.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9.
The Jays had been using Diamond as a starter at the Triple-A level prior to his call-up. Over a dozen starts, he compiled a 3.16 ERA while striking out 4.5 and walking 1.7 batters per nine innings.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/13/16
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Angels announced today that right-hander Cody Satterwhite has been released from Triple-A Salt Lake so that he may sign with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (Twitter link). The 29-year-old Satterwhite — a former farmhand of the Tigers and Mets — was in his first season in the Angels organization and had pitched to a 1.80 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 18 relief appearances, totaling 25 innings. The former second-round pick (Tigers, 2008) has a career 3.71 ERA in 96 innings at the Triple-A level.
Earlier Moves
- The Blue Jays are set to select the contract of left-hander Scott Diamond from Triple-A Buffalo, reports Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. The Canadian-born southpaw hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2013 with the Twins, but he has a strong 3.16 ERA through 74 innings in the minors this season. Diamond, 29, isn’t one to miss many bats (4.5 K/9 at Triple-A this season, 4.2 K/9 in 343 MLB innings), but he’s displayed excellent control throughout his career and keeps the ball on the ground quite well. He’s been starting with Buffalo but could step into a multi-inning relief role for the Jays; Nicholson-Smith writes that manager John Gibbons said the team’s bullpen is “on fumes right now.” The Jays will need to make a 40-man move to add Diamond to the mix, but they could simply move fellow lefty Franklin Morales to the 60-day DL in order to create room.
Troy Tulowitzki Suffers Setback
- Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki suffered a setback in his return from his quadriceps injury, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Tulowitzki left an instra-squad game on Friday with discomfort. “It’s not like he re-injured it, but just seems a little hesitant or something,” manager John Gibbons explained. Tulowitzki had been scheduled to rejoin the Blue Jays Monday, but that now appears unlikely. He’s been out since May 27. The five-time All-Star is batting .204/.289/.383 in his first full season in Toronto.
Blue Jays Unlikely To Retain John Gibbons After 2016
- While the Blue Jays don’t have any inclination to part with John Gibbons at present, Heyman suggests it’s unlikely he’ll be retained past the present season. A “huge year” could change that, though.
Blue Jays Designate Matt Dominguez Off Active Roster
TODAY: Dominguez has cleared waivers and been optioned, so he’ll stay with Toronto, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
YESTERDAY, 2:34pm: Dominguez is only being designated off of the active roster so he can pass through optional assignment waivers, Nicholson-Smith clarifies on Twitter. That procedural step was required because he is three or more years removed from his major league debut. It’s a revocable waiver placement that is generally considered a formality, so Toronto does not appear at risk of losing Dominguez.
1:39pm: The Blue Jays have designated third baseman Matt Dominguez for assignment, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets. His roster spot will go to switch-pitching reliever Pat Venditte.
Dominguez has seen only five games of action for Toronto in two brief stints, recording no hits in 12 plate appearances on the year. He does own a useful-enough .287/.333/.419 slash over 183 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, but clearly he was on the fringes of the Jays’ plans.
It’s not clear whether the 26-year-old will ever get another full crack at regular major league action, but he’s young and skilled enough for it to remain a possibility. Dominguez has a twenty home run MLB season under his belt and is capable of playing both corner infield spots.
