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Phil Coke Declines Optional Assignment, Elects Free Agency

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Lefty Phil Coke has declined an optional assignment with the Blue Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. As was his right given his 6+ years of service, Coke has elected free agency.

Coke, 32, had allowed just one earned run in 2 2/3 innings in Toronto, striking out three but walking two. Combined with his stint with the Cubs earlier in the year, he owns a 5.68 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 on the year.

Though he’s continued to bounce around, Coke figures to have another big league shot in relatively short order. His velocity is down a tick from last year, but he still brings 92 to 93 mph heat from the left side and has fairly promising peripherals. SIERA values his contributions this year at a 3.15 earned run equivalency, while FIP likewise shows him at a promising 3.39 mark.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Masterson, Santos

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Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link) that he’s zeroing in on fixing the starting five before addressing the relief situation.  “That’s probably more our priority,” Anthopoulos said. “We could use both, but if I did have to prioritize it I’d say rotation first, bullpen would be next.” Pitcher Aaron Sanchez is expected to join the rotation upon returning from a lat strain, but the GM went on to say that he wouldn’t rule out using Sanchez in the bullpen if he were able to acquire two superior starters via trade.  Here’s more out of the AL East..

  • It doesn’t sound like we should expect the Blue Jays to pull off any deals anytime soon.  “Very few teams are willing to do anything early…Really we might be the only one willing to do anything now,” Anthopoulos said (via SiriusXM on Twitter).
  • Red Sox hurler Justin Masterson won’t specifically say that he’ll ask for a trade, but he did acknowledge the possibility, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes.  “I dont know if it’s in my nature to do that, to say, ‘Beat it guys, trade me or put me in [the rotation],’” he said. “No, I don’t think that’s the time right now. Especially the way I see this team going and the way I believe in this team too.”  Masterson, who is signed to a one-year, $9.5MM deal, could conceivably draw interest from a team in need of a starter.  For his part, Masterson would much rather start than pitch in relief.
  • The Yankees announced that reliever Sergio Santos will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, as Grace Raynor of MLB.com writes. Santos made two appearances with the Yankees after signing a minor league pact earlier this month.  Over parts of six MLB seasons, Santos owns a career 3.98 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
  • Yankees manager Joe Girardi suspects that Ivan Nova’s next start will be in the big leagues, Ryan Hatch of The Star-Ledger writes. Nova last pitched in the majors in April 2014 and underwent surgery on his elbow shortly afterward.
  • Tim Britton of The Providence Journal looked at why the Red Sox have been underperforming their projections despite an active offseason.

Cafardo On Sale, Ramirez, Uehara, Papelbon

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests ten steps to help fix the Red Sox.  The first item on the list is one that has been discussed quite a bit – Boston’s need for a true ace in the rotation.  Beyond that, Cafardo would like to see the Sox trade Clay Buchholz, focus on acquiring players who can thrive in their environment, and hire an executive to oversee and question the moves of GM Ben Cherington.   Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Cafardo’s Sunday offering..

  • White Sox left-hander Chris Sale is on a strikeout tear and teams would surely like to add him this summer.  However, team sources tell Cafardo that Sale is not available.  Even though the White Sox are in last place, they see him as the cornerstone of their franchise.  Sale, 26, has a 2.74 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 through 13 starts this season.
  • There have been conflicting reports on the subject, but Cafardo hears that the Mets have made inquiries on Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez.  Ramirez, who turns 37 this week, has hit just .220/.256/.405 in 211 plate appearances this season.  However, some feel that a move to a contending club could get him back on track.  Cafardo also writes that it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants or Padres got in the mix on the veteran.
  • Teams are watching Red Sox closer Koji Uehara and monitoring him to make sure that he’s free of serious injury concerns.  At the same time, his $9MM salary for next season is a deterrent for rival teams.   “There’s always going to be a holding of your breath to commit to him, but he’s still very good. Boston would have to pick up some of the salary. But I think teams will definitely inquire and make a push for him,” one AL evaluator told Cafardo.
  • Jonathan Papelbon would seem to be a great fit for the the Blue Jays, but money continues to be an issue for Toronto.  The Phillies could probably assume a lot of Papelbon’s deal for this year and some of the $13MM vesting option for 2016, but the sense is that Toronto wants to go even cheaper.  Also, they don’t want to give up youngster Daniel Norris to find their late-inning solution.

Quick Hits: International Spending, Giants, Cubans

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Remember when the Padres, Red Sox, and White Sox were the most improved teams in the majors? They, along with the Marlins, are below .500 despite their busy offseasons, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. Alternatively, the Blue Jays have pushed into playoff contention with a recent winning streak. Toronto added Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin over the offseason, but the core of the team has remained largely intact. Kepner notes that these quick turnaround rebuilds are no guarantee for solid performance.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • A new international signing period will begin on July 2nd, but 2016 is the time for your favorite team to break the bank, per Ben Badler of Baseball America. The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Angels, and Diamondbacks are already unable to spend more than $300K on a player for the next two seasons. The Dodgers, Cubs, Royals, Phillies, and Blue Jays may blow past their bonus limit in the 2015 signing period. That will remove many of the most active teams from the market in 2016. Badler gives a complete description of the international market conditions. It’s well worth a read.
  • The Giants will soon face a roster crunch in their rotation, writes Chris Haft of MLB.com. Jake Peavy is medically ready to return, and Matt Cain is nearing readiness. The easiest move would be to option Chris Heston, but he’s tied for the club lead with seven wins and recently no-hit the Mets. Ryan Vogelsong and Tim Hudson have been merely serviceable. The same can be said of Tim Lincecum in recent weeks. With the exception of Heston, the other rotation arms could be lost if they’re designated for assignment. The club could opt to move Lincecum and Vogelsong into the bullpen, but that just pushes the roster crunch elsewhere.
  • An influx of Cuban players could soon flood the majors, writes Bill Shaiken of the Los Angeles Times. Cuban players, even those who fall under international spending restrictions, are currently able to negotiate with all 30 clubs. That increases their bargaining power. It’s a big reason why infielder Roberto Baldoquin cost about four times more than the Angels’ entire 2015 amateur draft class. Cubans are currently the third most represented foreign nation in the majors. Opening day rosters included 18 Cubans, 65 Venezuelans, and 83 Dominicans. Cuba has a comparable population to the Dominican Republic. As such, we could see a surge of Cuban players as diplomatic relations continue to thaw.

Blue Jays Interested In Francisco Rodriguez

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The Blue Jays have contacted the Brewers about closer Francisco Rodriguez, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports. The Jays are also seeking a starter.

That the Jays would have interest in Rodriguez is no surprise. With the Brewers off to a 25-44 start, K-Rod seems likely to be on the market this summer, and the Blue Jays have been connected to other top relievers, like Jonathan Papelbon and Tyler Clippard.

Rodriguez is in the midst of a strong season in which he’s posted a 1.13 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. His peripherals don’t quite support such an outstanding ERA, but he remains one of the game’s more reliable closers, and he could surely bolster the Jays’ bullpen, which is currently headed by Brett Cecil, Roberto Osuna, Liam Hendriks, Aaron Loup and Steve Delabar. Rodriguez makes $3.5MM this season and will receive $7.5MM ($2MM of which will be deferred) next season, with a $6MM option or $2MM buyout for 2017.

Many Clubs Scouting Jonathan Papelbon

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There was a “heavy” scouting presence in attendance for Jonathan Papelbon’s most recent appearance, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Both the Blue Jays and Cubs are known to have interest in the closer, but Rosenthal now adds that additional clubs have inquired on the reliever.

Meanwhile, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes that the Jays have had a high-ranking scout trail Papelbon for his past 10 contests. He’s only had one save opportunity in that time, though he has pitched in non-save situations. Per Salisbury, determining how much money would need to head to the Blue Jays has been a “significant” hurdle in talks thus far.

Papelbon has pitched well all season and has continued to put up rather excellent results since experiencing a significant velocity drop beginning in 2013. Rosenthal notes that he averaged 94.1 mph in his most recent outing, but he only threw nine pitches, so it’s not necessarily an indicator that his velocity has returned for good. Indeed, a look at Papelbon’s game-to-game velocity charts (via Fangraphs) reveals that the most recent appearance is something of an outlier.

PITCHf/x data shows that Papelbon has upped the usage of his slider in 2015, which may explain the increase in both his swinging-strike rate and his K/9 rate. At 34 years old, it’s unlikely that Papelbon will see a dramatic resurgence in the velocity department, but he’s still managed to post a pristine 1.01 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a career-best 51.5 percent ground-ball rate in 26 1/3 innings this year.

The remaining $7.67MM on his contract is an obstacle, to be sure, as is the $13MM option for 2016 that seems likely to vest. But, at roughly $20.5MM over the coming nine-and-a-half months of regular season games (to say nothing of potential postseason innings), Papelbon’s really not the overpriced asset that he’s often portrayed to be. Depending on the extent to which the Phillies are willing to subsidize an acquiring team, Papelbon could ultimately be looked upon as a below-market asset relative to his production.

Podcast: Selling Big Pieces?

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Steve Adams joins the show to discuss the growing departure from traditional “buyers” and “sellers,” the Braves’ expedited rebuild process and the possibility of teams cashing in their biggest assets for younger, more controllable talent. Jeff then takes a closer look at one such hypothetical: the Reds and Aroldis Chapman.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

Maicer Izturis Likely Out For Year After Shoulder Surgery

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Blue Jays infielder Maicer Izturis has undergone a surgical procedure on his right shoulder, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. That will likely bring an end to the year for Izturis, per the report.

Of course, an end to the year would also mean that the book is closed on a disappointing tenure in Toronto for Izturis. All said, he’s contributed just a .240/.291/.310 slash over 437 plate appearances since joining the Jays before the 2013 season.

The Blue Jays originally added Izturis by promising him $10MM over three years. While it wasn’t a major price to pay, Toronto has scuffled along with virtually no production from the second base position since making the move (at least until Devon Travis showed up).

That contract includes a $3MM club option for next year, but that seems a virtual lock to be bought out (for $1MM). Izturis, now 34 years of age, has suffered a variety of ailments in recent years and has not been a productive player since 2011.

AL East Notes: A-Rod, Red Sox, Chen

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The filing deadline for Alex Rodriguez’s potential grievance against the Yankees has been put on hold by agreement between MLB and the player’s union, the Associated Press reports (via the New York Times). Presumably, the deal was struck to avoid a major sideshow and to allow the sides more time to work out an agreement regarding the disputed milestone marketing bonuses contemplated in A-Rod’s contract. One of those bonuses was triggered recently when Rodriguez tied Willie Mays on the all-time home run list with his 660th long ball. The team has offered to settle the issue by making a charitable payment (of less than the $6MM provided in the deal) in Rodriguez’s name, per the report.

  • The Red Sox bet on bats, says WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford, and they haven’t come through to the extent necessary to overcome the team’s other deficiencies. Bradford argues that is is due not only to the talent on the current roster, but the club’s need for “a flat-out bigger dose of player-driven accountability.” In an appearance on WEEI radio today (via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald, on Twitter), manager John Farrell said that effort is not a problem, at least currently, though he acknowledged that “there have been times where we’ve had incidents with [effort] that had to be addressed.”
  • Looking forward, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs argues that the Red Sox may need to figure out a way to move forward with only one of David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez on next year’s roster. That could be a tall order (and a potentially painful one) given Ortiz’s rather iconic standing and apparent intention to play next year, combined with HanRam’s big contract and current lack of productivity on defense.
  • Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen was recently optioned despite his excellent results this year, with the team citing fatigue, as Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun explains. Of course, moving Chen down for ten days also allows the club to skip his upcoming start against the lefty-mashing Blue Jays while freeing a roster spot that the club used to add Chris Parmelee (and prevent him from exercising his opt-out clause). Chen’s agent, Scott Boras, called it a “grossly irregular” move that disrupted the starter’s routine. Ultimately, Baltimore had the right to utilize one of Chen’s options, of course, and service time does not appear to be an issue. But it is a rather interesting and unusual move to demote an established starter, even for an organization that has taken full advantage of the chance to shuttle players between the minors and active roster in recent years.

Draft Signings: White, Maese, Miller, Erwin, Graham

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It’s been a busy day on the draft signing front. Among the notable names locked up today, with slot values courtesy of Baseball America (all links to Twitter):

  • Shortstop Mikey White will receive a $900K bonus from the Athletics, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis. His second round selection spot (63rd overall) came with a $979,600 allocation, so the team will save some cash in the deal. White checked in at 34th on the board of Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs, who cites his development at the plate and solid raw power for his position. Other talent evaluators had him further down the board, in the sixties, with some doubting whether he’ll stick at short.
  • The Marlins will pay third-rounder Isaiah White an at-slot $698,100 bonus, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports. Baseball America had White rated the 138th-best talent available, citing his outstanding speed as his best tool. Miami locked up fourth-rounder Cody Poteet with a slot-value $488.7K bonus, per Cotillo. And the Fish also added sixth-round catcher Justin Cohen for a $540K bonus, well above his $274K slot number at the 176th selection, per Callis. BA credited Cohen’s arm and receiving ability behind the plate, noting that he has some power potential with the bat.
  • The Blue Jays have reached a $300K deal with third-round choice Justin Maese, per Callis. That constitutes a somewhat rare below-slot deal for a high school arm, as the slot value was $636,400. While Maese has shown a big fastball and strong slider, Baseball America says he has been inconsistent. Toronto also agreed to a $450K bonus with fourth-round pick Carl Wise, Callis reports, falling just $11,200 of the slot value.
  • The Royals have added Western Kentucky outfielder Anderson Miller for a slot bonus of $581,300, says Callis. Baseball America rated Miller within the top 200 prospects available, citing his solid hitting ability, increased power, and potential to play center field as a professional.
  • White Sox fourth-rounder Zack Erwin will receive a slot bonus of $508K, Callis  reports. The Clemson lefty was the 117th name on BA’s list, calling him a good athlete with the potential to harness three above-average offerings. Chicago also agreed to terms with sixth-round pick Corey Zangari, a power righty, for $510K, Callis adds. He works in the upper nineties when he’s on, per BA, but is inconsistent. He also has some promise as a hitter, though he likely won’t be able to catch (as he has as an amateur) and would profile as a first baseman.
  • The Braves signed their fourth-round pick, Josh Graham of Oregon, for $500K, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. That’s just a shade under $30K over the slot value. Recently converted from catcher to the mound, Graham has a nice low-to-mid-90s fastball, average slider, and “surprisingly decent change,” according to Baseball America.
  • 11th-round pick Brantley Bell has agreed to terms with the Reds for $400k, according to Mayo. Bell, a JuCo shortstop out of State College of Florida Manatee, did not place on any prospect lists.
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