Rays To Sign Brendan McKay
The Rays have agreed to a $7,007,500 signing bonus with No. 4 overall pick Brendan McKay, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). The bonus is the largest ever given to a player under the current set of draft rules, narrowly topping the flat $7MM signing bonus that Kyle Wright received from the Braves earlier this year. McKay is represented by Sosnick, Cobbe and Karon. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report that McKay was expected to sign with the Rays tonight.
McKay was one of the most famed prospects headed into the draft and was reportedly a strong consideration of the Twins with the No. 1 overall pick. A two-way star at the University of Louisville, McKay was touted as a top five talent for both his abilities on the mound as a left-handed pitcher and for his hitting ability as a first baseman. MLB.com’s Jim Callis calls McKay the best two-way draft prospect since Hall of Famer Dave Winfield (Twitter link).
Entering the draft, McKay was a consensus top four talent, ranking second among draft prospects per Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo. McKay ranked third on Baseball America’s Top 500 and ESPN’s Keith Law, and fourth in the estimation of Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen. There’s a bit of a split camp when it comes to McKay’s future, as some believe his upside to be greater on the mound while others prefer his bat.
On the mound, McKay is said to have a low-90s fastball that reaches 94 mph and excellent command of the pitch, allowing it to play up late in games as his velocity dips. He also features a plus curveball and is working to improve a changeup that could give him a third above-average offering. This season with Louisville, he posted a 2.56 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 109 innings.
At the plate, McKay has plus power from the left side, which he used to destroy NCAA pitching this season. McKay belted 18 homers and slashed .341/.457/.659 as a hitter, though he does lack speed and is limited to first base on the defensive side of the coin.
Topkin notes in the above-linked story that the Rays will permit McKay to hit and pitch initially, though it’s unclear if Tampa Bay feels that’s a feasible long-term path for McKay. Most likely, he’ll eventually settle into one role or the other, but the notion of a legitimate two-way star is a fun one on upon which to speculate.
Yankees Place Starlin Castro On DL, Select Contract Of Tyler Wade
4:45pm: An MRI revealed only a Grade 1 strain for Castro, tweets Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News. Castro believes he can return in the minimum 10 days, calling the strain less severe than the more serious hamstring strain that he sustained last September, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
4:35pm: The Yankees announced Tuesday that they’ve placed second baseman Starlin Castro on the 10-day DL due to a strained right hamstring and selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Tyler Wade from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. There’s no word from the team yet on how much time Castro is expected to miss.
[Related: Updated New York Yankees Depth Chart]
The 27-year-old Castro is in the midst of his finest season at the plate, hitting .313/.348/.486 with a dozen homers, 13 doubles and a triple. With him on the shelf, the Yankees could look to Wade and Rob Refsnyder to assume the bulk of the duties at second base. Wade bats from the left side of the dish, so the Yankees have the makings of a platoon on their hands between the two.
Wade, 22, was New York’s fourth-round pick back in 2013 and is in the midst of a strong season in Triple-A, where he’s hitting .313/.390/.444 with five homers and an International League-leading 24 stolen bases (in 28 attempts). Wade entered the season ranked eighth among Yankees prospects, per ESPN’s Keith Law, and he currently ranks 11th among their prospects per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. He draws praise as an above-average defender at shortstop and has also played quite a bit of second base in the minors (in addition to some time in center field). Wade doesn’t have much power but has walked in 10.4 percent of his Triple-A plate appearances against a reasonably low 17.1 percent strikeout rate.
The Yankees also shuffled their bullpen a bit, recalling Tyler Webb from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and optioning Jonathan Holder back there in his place. Webb’s presence gives the Yankees a third lefty in the ‘pen (and a fourth Tyler on the 25-man roster). In 33 1/3 Triple-A innings, Webb has logged a 3.24 ERA with 12.7 K/9, 0.8 BB/9 and a 51.8 percent ground-ball rate.
Reds Designate Jake Buchanan
The Reds have designated righty Jake Buchanan for assignment, per a club announcement. Two other right-handers are also on the move: Kevin Shackelford has been called up, while Austin Brice, was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to open active roster space.
Buchanan, 27, appeared in five games with the Reds and totaled 14 1/3 innings, yielding an unsightly 13 earned runs on 24 hits and seven walks with just four strikeouts. The former Cubs and Astros reliever also hit three batters, demonstrating an uncharacteristic lack of control. Buchanan has a modestly successful track record in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 4.41 ERA with 5.9 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 through 439 career innings. He’s worked primarily as a starter in the minors, though 26 of his 29 big league appearances have been out of the bullpen.
The 28-year-old Shackelford will be making his MLB debut the first time he steps on the mound for the Reds. Acquired in the 2014 trade that sent Jonathan Broxton to Milwaukee, Shackelford has improved his results with each season in the Reds’ system and was in the midst of a career year down in Triple-A. Through 35 1/3 innings, he’d posted a 1.53 ERA with 11.7 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 46.8 percent ground-ball rate.
Brewers Designate Nick Franklin, Activate Braun & Villar
The Brewers have announced that utilityman Nick Franklin has been designated for assignment. Veterans Ryan Braun and Jonathan Villar, meanwhile, were both activated from their DL stints.
Franklin, 26, has not performed well for Milwaukee after coming over from the Rays in a waiver claim right at the start of the season. Through 89 plate appearances, he carries an ugly .195/.258/.317 batting line.
That said, Franklin has shown more at times in the upper minors and even against major league pitching. Last year, he gave Tampa Bay 191 plate appearances of .270/.328/.443 hitting with a half-dozen homers and as many steals. He’s also capable of playing all over the diamond, though the metrics haven’t always been kind to his glovework.
Blue Jays Designate Jason Grilli
The Blue Jays announced that veteran reliever Jason Grilli has been designated for assignment. Righty Chris Smith has been called up to take his spot in the pen, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reported earlier today.
While Grilli proved to be an excellent reclamation project for Toronto last year, he fell off badly in 2017. The 40-year-old veteran has allowed 16 earned runs in his 20 2/3 frames. While he carries a respectable 23:9 K/BB ratio, Grilli has been touched for nine long balls already.
Teams weighing a move on the veteran will likely be deterred from a waiver claim by his $3MM salary. Despite the solid strikeout numbers, Grilli’s swinging-strike rate has dropped to 10.1% — well below his typical figure — though he is still sitting at 93 with his fastball.
Smith, meanwhile, will make his MLB debut as he nears his 29th birthday. He had pitched to a 3.93 ERA over 18 1/3 innings on the year at Tripe-A, where he recorded 7.4 K/9 against just 1.0 BB/9.
Nationals To Sign Francisco Rodriguez
TODAY: Rodriguez will have an opt-out opportunity on July 12th, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. That gives the Nats about two weeks to watch the veteran throw at Triple-A before making a decision on adding him to the MLB roster.
YESTERDAY, 7:27pm: A deal is now in place, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
3:09pm: The Nationals and veteran right-hander Francisco Rodriguez are nearing agreement on a minor league contract, according to reports from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) and Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported earlier today that Washington was pursuing the Beverly Hills Sports Council client, who was released by the Tigers over the weekend.
Editor’s Note: an earlier version of this post mistakenly stated that the contract had been finalized.
The 35-year-old Rodriguez was clobbered for a 7.82 ERA through 25 1/3 innings in Detroit thanks largely to a staggering nine home runs allowed in that small sample of work. He’s had success with a diminished fastball in recent seasons, but this year’s average of 88.9 mph is the lowest of his storied career.
For all of his 2017 struggles, Rodriguez did post a very solid 3.24 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a career-high 54.7 percent ground-ball rate as the Tigers’ closer in 2016, totaling 44 saves throughout the year. He’s earning $8MM this year, though the Tigers are on the hook for the remainder of that considerable sum. The Nats will only have to pay K-Rod the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the Majors.
Though the Nationals are running away with the NL East, their bullpen has been an unmitigated disaster in 2017. Washington’s 4.88 bullpen ERA ranks 26th in the Majors, and the Nats also rank 25th in bullpen FIP (4.72) and 21st in bullpen xFIP (4.52). The Nats currently have de facto closer Koda Glover and veteran righty Shawn Kelley on the disabled list along with lefty Sammy Solis. With that group on the shelf, the team is presently relying on Matt Albers, Enny Romero, Blake Treinen, Oliver Perez, Joe Blanton, Matt Grace and Jacob Turner to comprise its relief corps.
Obviously, there’s no guarantee that Rodriguez will serve as any type of upgrade over that bunch, but given the state of Dusty Baker’s bullpen, the Nats figure to be at least loosely interested in virtually any veteran reliever that becomes available. Moreover, it’ll be a shock if general manager Mike Rizzo doesn’t make at least one notable bullpen acquisition on the trade market, and it’s possible that he could look to acquire multiple relievers between now and the July 31 non-waiver deadline.
Draft Signings: 6/27/17
Here are the latest draft signings of note:
- The Astros have landed second-round pick Joe Perez, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter). He’ll take home a $1.6MM bonus that exceeds the 53rd overall pick’s slot value of $1.265MM. Perez is coming off of Tommy John surgery, but he has a big arm that led to top-100 grades from MLB.com and Baseball America. The righty looks like a possible future bullpen piece, but the Astros say they’ll give him a shot at developing first as a hitter. Per BA’s scouting report, he’s a question mark to stay at third but shows promising all-fields power. Perez, who forewent a scholarship at Miami to join the ‘Stros, becomes the first of Houston’s top four picks to agree to terms.
- We previously covered the Brewers‘ signing of second-rounder Caden Lemons, but his bonus information wasn’t available at that time. Per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link), the prep righty will receive $1.45MM — just shy of the $1,493,500 slot value of the 46th pick. While top selection Keston Hiura is already in agreement, the remainder of Milwaukee’s slate of draftees were held up a bit by the NCAA tournament.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/26/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Righty Keyvius Sampson has signed on with the Marlins on a minors deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). The 26-year-old threw 91 2/3 MLB innings for the Reds in the past two seasons, struggling to a 5.60 ERA while allowing 16 long balls and 53 walks to go with 84 strikeouts. Sampson spent time with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate earlier this year. He struggled to a 6.75 ERA in his 42 2/3 innings at Reno, however, racking up 9.7 K/9 but also coughing up 6.3 BB/9 in that stint. (Free passes have been an ever-present concern in recent years for the former fourth-round draft pick.) He’ll head to the Marlins organization now in search of a new chance to return to the majors, which may well be achievable if his new organization moves some arms at the deadline.
Rockies Acquire Zac Rosscup From Cubs For Matt Carasiti
The Rockies and Cubs have announced a swap of pitchers, with the Rockies adding the southpaw Zac Rosscup out of DFA limbo. Heading to Chicago in return is right-hander Matt Carasiti.
The 29-year-old Rosscup will provide Colorado with a potential lefty specialist. Over his career, he has struggled against righties (and with his command) while dominating opposing lefties to the tune of a .162/.303/.284 slash. He has spent most of the current season at Triple-A, posting 17 strong appearances there (12.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 2.60 ERA).
It’ll be interesting to see if there are any near-term roster moves from Colorado that help explain the move. The club already has two power, late-inning lefties in the pen in Jake McGee and Mike Dunn, though the latter has been hit hard. And converted starter Chris Rusin, another southpaw, continues to post excellent numbers in a relief role.
As for Carasiti, 25, he lost his MLB roster spot after making his debut last year. He hasn’t been called back to the majors in 2017, but has been awfully impressive at Triple-A. Over 30 1/3 innings, he owns a 2.37 ERA with 12.8 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.
Rays Acquire Adeiny Hechavarria
5:16pm: Both clubs have announced the deal, making it official.
2:26pm: The Rays and Marlins have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from Miami to Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league outfielder Braxton Lee and minor league right-hander Ethan Clark. The Rays will take on all of Hechavarria’s remaining salary.
Hechavarria, 27, has been out for more than a month due to a strained oblique muscle but is ready to return to the field. While he doesn’t bring much to the table from an offensive standpoint, he’ll dramatically improve the Rays’ infield defense whenever he’s on the field. The Rays have relied primarily upon Tim Beckham and Daniel Robertson at shortstop in 2017 due to the fact that projected starter Matt Duffy has missed the entire year to date with a heel injury that recently required minor surgery.
From 2015-16, Hechavarria posted excellent defensive marks at shortstop, grading out at +18 Defensive Runs Saved and a +24.1 Ultimate Zone Rating. However, while that superlative glovework was paired with a respectable .281/.315/.374 batting line in 2015, Hechavarria has slashed just .241/.283/.319 in 614 trips to the dish since that time. He’s also earning $4.35MM this season, which was reportedly the Marlins’ primary motivation for finding a trading partner.
The Rays will control Hechavarria for one more season via the arbitration process, if they’re so inclined. Retaining him would mean giving him a raise on that $4.35MM salary in arbitration, though his injury and lack of production at the plate will likely limit the size of the raise to a fairly nominal amount.
Exactly how Hechavarria fits into the mix for the Rays remains to be seen. While he looks like the clear favorite to play shortstop on an everyday basis for the time being, Tampa Bay will need to decide what to do with the combination of Backham, Robertson and, when he returns from the disabled list, Brad Miller — the latter of whom was the primary second baseman prior to getting injured. One of Beckham or Robertson seems likely to be sent out — Beckham is out of options, so Robertson seems likelier — but the eventual returns of Miller and Duffy will further crowd the infield mix.
As for the players that Miami will receive in return, neither Lee nor Clark entered the season rated among Tampa Bay’s top 30 prospects. Lee, a 12th-round pick out of the University of Mississippi back in 2014, is hitting .318/.387/.391 through 296 plate appearances in Double-A this season, although it’s his second season at that level and he’ll turn 24 in August, so he’s not especially young relative to the competition that he’s facing. That production has been buoyed by a .397 BABIP, though, and Clark has never shown any power, with just two homers in his pro career.
Clark, meanwhile, has a 3.11 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 39.9 percent ground-ball rate in 55 innings at Class-A Bowling Green. The former 15th-round pick (Crowder College, 2015) is 22 years of age, so he’s not young for the Class-A Midwest League, either.
For the Marlins, the move boils down to primarily a salary dump, as they’ll save $2.33MM by moving Hechavarria and the entirety of his contract. The trade likely opens up an everyday role for 25-year-old JT Riddle to attempt to establish himself as Miami’s new long-term shortstop, though Riddle has been mired in a dreadful slump at the plate and is currently batting just .230/.251/.354 with three homers, nine doubles and a triple through 173 big league plate appearances.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald first reported that Hechavarria was on the trade block, and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports added that he was likely to be traded in the very near future (via Twitter). ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Rays had made significant strides in getting a deal worked out (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweeted that the Rays were the front-runners. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted that Lee and Clark were involved in talks, and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald broke the news (on Twitter) that the deal was done.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.