White Sox Sign Luis Robert
The White Sox have officially signed Cuban outfielder Luis Robert, and he’ll receive a $26MM bonus, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com tweets. The deal is of the minor-league variety, according to the White Sox’ team announcement.
Chicago had long been seen as one of the top suitors for the highly-regarded Robert, with reports noting that the White Sox and Cardinals were the favorites to land the 19-year-old outfielder. The Padres, Reds, Astros, and Athletics were also linked to Robert.
Since Robert is subject to international bonus pools, the White Sox had to far exceed their pool limit ($2.973MM) to make the signing. Since every dollar spent over the pool limit comes at a 100% luxury tax, the Sox will actually pay in the $50-$60MM range to sign Robert, between both his bonus and the overage tax.
In addition, the White Sox will be penalized for exceeding their bonus pool in this international signing period (which ends on June 15) by being limited to signings of no more than $300K in each of the next two signing periods. Notably, the White Sox were the only known Robert suitor who hadn’t yet exceeded their pool limit for the 2016-17 signing period. Baseball America’s Ben Badler recently observed that Chicago hadn’t lined up any deals with highly-touted prospects for the coming July 2 period, which served as a hint that the Sox were planning to take themselves out of the international prospect running by signing Robert.
Since the international bonus pool system will be much stricter under the new collective bargaining agreement, however, Robert was seen as the last blue chip international talent available under the pre-existing rules, which end on June 15. It therefore made sense for him to sign as quickly as possible in order to score a larger payday than he would’ve by waiting until the next July 2 period, and it also made sense for the White Sox to make this last-second splash while they still could. As we’ve seen in recent years, several teams have employed the strategy of far exceeding their pool limit in order to sign one or several highly-regarded international prospects during one signing period, essentially sacrificing two future years under penalty to make one big splurge.
Robert comes with enough promise that it is clear to see why the White Sox felt he was worth the risk. Considered by many evaluators to be the second-best international prospect in the world (behind only Japan’s Shohei Otani), Robert hit .314/.409/.467 over 192 games and 711 plate appearances in the Serie Nacional and playing for a Cuban team in the Can-Am League.
Badler examines Robert’s tools and history in Cuba’s Serie Nacional as part of this scouting report that is well worth a full read. The 19-year-old is already 6’3″ and possesses “premium bat speed” and “plus raw power” when he connects, though Badler notes that Robert has some issues in making contact and is “often pull-oriented.” Robert is a good athlete who should play center field in the minors with a chance to remain at the position, and he also possesses quite a bit of running ability. He was already rated in the 55-60 range (on the 20-80 scouting scale) speed-wise while in Cuba, and Badler said that scouts watching Robert in recent Dominican Republic workouts had clocked him at even faster 60-yard dash times.
Signing Robert is the latest step in White Sox GM Rick Hahn’s rebuilding plan, and Chicago has amassed an enviable amount of young talent just over the last six months. The Pale Hose already added the likes of Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Luis Alexander Basabe, and Dane Dunning in two blockbuster trades with the Red Sox (for Chris Sale) and the Nationals (Adam Eaton). Robert will slot right in near the top of Chicago’s prospect ranking list, rivaling Moncada for sheer potential, as MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez recently illustrated.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) was the first to report a deal was close. FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman was first to report that Robert’s deal was in the $25MM-$30MM range.
Tigers Place Ian Kinsler On DL, Designate William Cuevas
The Tigers announced this morning that they’ve placed second baseman Ian Kinsler on the 10-day DL with a left hamstring strain. In addition, they’ve optioned lefty Chad Bell to Triple-A Toledo, recalled outfielder JaCoby Jones from Toledo, purchased the contract of righty Arcenio Leon and designated righty William Cuevas for assignment.
Kinsler left a game last Saturday due to hamstring trouble, but returned to play this week. He generally struggled, however, batting 4-for-22 since Saturday. It isn’t clear how long he’ll need to be out. The team has Andrew Romine and Dixon Machado to take his place. Jones also played shortstop during his early years in the minors, but has never played second base as a pro and figures as more of a third baseman and outfielder at this point.
The 30-year-old Leon pitched well for Toledo (3.15 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 in 20 innings, earning what could be his first taste of big-league action after 12 seasons in the Astros, Brewers, White Sox and Tigers systems. His roster spot comes at the expense of Cuevas, who posted a 4.06 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 34 1/3 innings in the Mud Hens’ rotation. Cuevas also appeared once for the Tigers this year, allowing four runs in just a third of an inning.
Twins Designate Adam Wilk
The Twins have designated lefty Adam Wilk for assignment, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll make way for the call-up of lefty Adalberto Mejia; as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweeted recently, Mejia will take the ball tomorrow.
Wilk, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Mets earlier in the year. He has made two lengthy relief appearances out of the Minnesota pen, allowing three earned runs on eight hits over seven innings while compiling four strikeouts against five walks.
Through four years in the majors, Wilk has compiled just 37 total frames. He had not been off to an impressive start at Triple-A in the New York organization, but did throw 87 1/3 innings of 3.61 ERA ball last year at Triple-A for the Rays.
As for Mejia, the 23-year-old will look to improve upon his 4.96 ERA through his first four starts in 2017. He has been touched for four long balls while allowing ten walks to go with 13 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. But Mejia has looked every bit the solid prospect at Triple-A, where he owns a 3.48 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 over 20 2/3 frames.
Dodgers Claim Mike Freeman, Chris Heston
The Dodgers have claimed two players off waivers from the Mariners, the teams announced today. Infielder Mike Freeman and righty Chris Heston are now headed to the Los Angeles organization.
Both players have been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open their tenures with the new club. To create roster space, outfielder Andrew Toles and southpaw Scott Kazmir were shifted to the 60-day DL.
Freeman, 29, is a left-handed hitter with experience all over the field — the bulk of it coming at second base. He has struggled in two brief cracks at the majors in the past two seasons, but has shown quite a bit more in the upper minors. Indeed, through 1,245 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of four seasons, Freeman owns a .316/.378/.427 batting line with 113 walks against just 180 strikeouts. He also has hit only nine home runs in that span, so clearly it would be unwise to expect much in the power department.
As for Heston, it’s interesting to see him land with the Dodgers, who saw him emerge with the rival San Francisco Giants back in 2015. He ended that year with a no-hitter and 177 2/3 innings of 3.95 ERA pitching on his ledger, but has only thrown ten MLB frames since. Heston, 29, was throwing well in his time this year at Triple-A, though, with a 3.41 ERA and 8.0 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 over 31 2/3 frames.
Nationals Acquire Ryan Raburn From White Sox
The Nationals have acquired veteran outfielder Ryan Raburn from the White Sox, according to a club announcement from Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports that the Nats will send cash or a player to be named later back to the White Sox in exchange for Raburn, who will be assigned to Triple-A Syracuse in the Nats organization (Twitter links).
The 36-year-old Raburn, a veteran of 11 Major League seasons, was in camp with the Reds this spring but didn’t make the roster and ultimately latched on with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate. He’s gotten off to a nice start with the Knights, hitting .277/.419/.434 through 105 plate appearances there and will give Washington some depth and, possibly, an eventual bench option against left-handed pitching. It’s worth noting that outfielder Chris Heisey recently suffered a torn biceps tendon and is waiting to learn whether he’ll require surgery to repair the injury, so Raburn could conceivably give the Nats another veteran option to fill that role on the big league club.
Despite spending the 2016 season playing his home games at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, Raburn struggled through one of the worst years of his career. In 256 plate appearances with the Rox last season, he batted just .220/.309/.404, though he did tally nine homers. Raburn has long been a potent bat against left-handed pitchers, as evidenced by his .261/.341/.487 lifetime batting line when holding the platoon advantage.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/26/17
Here are the day’s minors moves from around baseball…
- The Giants have released first baseman/outfielder Kyle Blanks, tweets Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area. The 30-year-old Blanks missed the 2016 campaign with foot injuries and inked a minor league pact with San Francisco this winter. Through 34 games and 92 plate appearances, Blanks has yet to deliver much in the way of offense despite the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League. He’s hitting .232/.315/.390 with three homers and four doubles. The former Padres prospect does, however, have an excellent track record in Triple-A, having slashed .291/.390/.546 with 40 homers in 770 total plate appearances at that level.
Orioles Outright Luis Sardinas
The Orioles announced that shortstop Luis Sardinas, whom they just claimed off waivers earlier this week, has now cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk. By outrighting Sardinas, the O’s have opened a spot on their 40-man roster while still retaining control over the 24-year-old infielder.
Sardinas once ranked among the game’s Top 100 prospects according to both MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus (2013-14), but his bat has never fully come around in either the upper minors or in the Majors. He was praised as an excellent defensive shortstop while ascending through the minors, though that hasn’t borne out in his brief MLB experience to date, either.
The switch-hitting Sardinas did post an impressive .287/.353/.417 batting line in 120 plate appearances with the Padres last season after being acquired from the Mariners, but his production cratered in 2017. Overall, he’s posted a very modest .229/.278/.293 batting line through 480 big league plate appearances and a .278/.313/.348 triple slash through 888 Triple-A plate appearances.
Sardinas will provide some infield depth for the Orioles and could eventually challenge veteran utilityman Paul Janish for a spot on the big league roster.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/25/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Orioles released outfielder Henry Urrutia, per a club announcement. The 30-year-old had been removed from the 40-man roster last year after seeing minimal major league action in 2013 and 2015. Urrutia, who the O’s signed out of Cuba, had struggled to a sub-.500 OPS in seventy plate appearances this season at Triple-A. Through parts of five seasons and over 1,000 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors, he owns a .277/.327/.374 batting line with 13 long balls.
- Outfielder Jeremy Barfield is heading to the Red Sox after his contract was purchased from the indy ball Sugar Land Skeeters, per an announcement from Boston’s Double-A affiliate. Barfield, 28, has spent quite a bit of time in the upper minors with the Athletics and Rockies organizations but has never cracked the major leagues. He was performing well again for the Skeeters early this season, leaving him with a composite .299/.379/.539 batting line in 878 trips to the dish in Atlantic League action since leaving the affiliated ranks in 2015.
Reds Claim Jake Buchanan, Designate Peter O’Brien
The Reds announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Jake Buchanan off waivers from the Cubs and designated minor league outfielder Peter O’Brien for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Buchanan, it seems, will be added to the Major League roster, as Cincinnati also announced that left-hander Amir Garrett has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right hip.
The 27-year-old Buchanan has seen time in the Majors each year from 2014-16, tossing a combined 50 1/3 innings of 3.75 ERA ball for the Astros and the Cubs. In that time, he’s averaged just 5.2 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 with a tepid 88.7 mph average on his sinker, though he’s also generated grounders at an excellent 58.5 percent clip.
The Astros shifted Buchanan away from the rotation in 2015, but the Cubs have plugged him back into a starting role in the past two seasons. This year, he’s made eight starts (41 2/3 innings) for Triple-A Iowa and posted a 4.75 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent ground-ball rate.
O’Brien, meanwhile has now been designated for assignment by his third organization of the past six months. The new-look Diamondbacks front office cut him loose back in December and traded him to the Royals in exchange for minor league righty Sam Lewis. However, O’Brien’s strong Spring Training was followed by a woeful .162/.235/.276 batting line in his first 27 games with Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate, prompting a second DFA and a waiver claim from the Reds. Through five games with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate, O’Brien hit .200/.333/.450.
The 26-year-old O’Brien has long intrigued fans with his excellent power numbers in Triple-A, but Major League teams appear to be persistently wary of his lack of defensive value and penchant for racking up strikeouts at an alarming rate. Originally a catcher in the Yankees’ organization, the D-backs moved O’Brien to the outfield due to defensive deficiencies behind the plate. His glovework there and at first base both remain a work in progress. He’s made some level of progress in terms of plate discipline this year, as his 26.6 percent strikeout rate is down from last year’s mark of 33.8 percent in Triple-A Reno. Still, a near-27 percent clip is rather lofty for a 26-year-old in Triple-A with questionable defensive value.
As for Garrett, the 25-year-old rookie southpaw has been torched for a 13 runs on a dozen hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in nine innings since his most recent recall from Triple-A. Of those 12 hits against him, six have cleared the fence for home runs. That’s a far cry from the form Garrett showed early in the year, logging five quality starts in his first six appearances and pitching to a 4.25 ERA.
Braves Designate Josh Collmenter For Assignment
The Braves have recalled right-hander Matt Wisler from Triple-A Gwinnett and designated fellow righty Josh Collmenter for assignment in order to clear a spot on the active roster, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link).
The 31-year-old Collmenter turned in a solid April for the Braves but has been shelled in the month of May, allowing runs in six of his seven appearances this month. That culminated in a seven-run shellacking at the hands of the Pirates last night — an outing that lasted just two-thirds of an inning and included three Pittsburgh home runs.
Collmenter proved to be a useful pickup for Atlanta late in the 2016 campaign, tossing 19 innings and allowing just five earned runs on 15 hits and five walks with 16 strikeouts. That performance proved to be enough for the Braves to retain the former D-backs Opening Day starter via arbitration this winter, as Collmenter agreed to a $1.2MM salary for the 2017 season. Because Collmenter has more than five years of big league service time, he’ll earn the entirety of that sum even if he elects free agency upon being outrighted (or if he is released).
In parts of seven Major League seasons (695 1/3 innings), Collmenter has a 3.64 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 36 percent ground-ball rate. He’s worked as both a starter and a reliever and has actually never finished a season in the big leagues with an ERA north of 3.79. However, he’s also never been a hard-thrower, and his velocity in 2016-17 has hovered in the 84-85 mph range, which doesn’t lend much optimism moving forward.