Draft Signings: Josh Rogers
Here are the day’s notable draft signings:
- The Yankees have signed 11th rounder Josh Rogers to a $485K deal, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). Devan Fink was first on the precise dollar value. Rogers, a lefty out of Louisville, placed inside Baseball America’s top 500 list at #342. To sign the draft-eligible sophomore, New York was forced to commit $385K against its overall pool. (For players taken in the 11th round or later, the amount of any bonus over $100K counts against a team’s draft allocation.) Per another Callis tweet, that leaves the club capable of paying first-round pick James Kaprielian up to a $2,676,450 bonus before it would be forced to sacrifice a future selection.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/13/15
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league, each courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise stated (it should be noted that Eddy’s weekly piece contains far too many moves to cover individually and is always worth an extended look beyond the highlights we mention here)…
- The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Blake Beavan from Triple-A Reno. The 26-year-old was one of four players who went from Texas to Seattle in the 2010 Cliff Lee trade, but he’s struggled for much of his time in the Majors. Formerly the 17th overall pick in the draft, Beavan struggled to a 6.32 ERA in 15 2/3 innings with the Aces this year. Beavan has a career 4.81 ERA in Triple-A and a 4.61 ERA in 293 big league innings. He’s averaged just 4.2 K/9 in the Majors, though his 1.4 BB/9 mark is impressive.
- The Marlins have released third baseman Scott Sizemore. The former Tigers/A’s third baseman has spent the past couple of seasons attempting to work his way back from a pair of major knee surgeries but struggled with Triple-A New Orleans, slashing just .223/.343/.301 in 235 plate appearances. Now 30 years old, Sizemore once ranked as the game’s No. 57 prospect (per Baseball Prospectus) and was a candidate to be a long-term fixture in the Detroit infield.
- The Red Sox released 27-year-old lefty Daniel Rosenbaum. Boston acquired Rosenbaum from the Nationals this winter in exchange for minor league catcher Dan Butler, but Rosenbaum tallied a 7.00 ERA in 18 innings between Class-A and Double-A prior to his release from the organization. Rosenbaum walked more hitters (12) than he struck out (11).
Royals Release Jason Frasor
JULY 13: The Royals have released Frasor, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Miller says that Frasor went unclaimed on release waivers.
JULY 6: The Royals announced today that they have designated right-hander Jason Frasor for assignment in order to clear space on the roster for outfielder Paulo Orlando.
The move will likely come as a surprise to many Royals fans — and fans in general — as the veteran setup man has worked to a stellar 1.54 ERA in 23 1/3 innings this season. However, Frasor’s also battled his control all season long, posting an 18-to-15 K/BB ratio in that time. That sub-par accuracy has led secondary stats like FIP (4.03), xFIP (4.60) and SIERA (4.71) to take a significantly more pessimistic stance on Frasor’s work to this point. Of course, it should also be noted that a pair of the walks yielded by Frasor in 2015 have been of the intentional variety.
The Royals acquired Frasor last summer in exchange for minor league right-hander Spencer Patton, and Frasor rewarded the team with a 1.53 ERA and a 16-to-1 K/BB ratio in 17 2/3 innings down the stretch in their push to the postseason. Frasor allowed just one run in 5 1/3 playoff innings and was re-signed by the Royals on a one-year, $1.8MM contract that includes a $1.25MM salary and a $550K buyout of a $2MM mutual option for the 2016 season.
Frasor chose the Royals over a few other interested clubs, with the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Mike Berardino reporting back in December that the Twins were one team to make an offer. Agent Dave Meier told Berardino that the Twins were one of the final teams under consideration by Frasor. Given Minnesota’s own bullpen struggles and Frasor’s modest salary — he’s owed about $621K plus the $550K buyout — it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Twins among the teams to show interest. Kansas City will have 10 days to trade, release or attempt to outright Frasor, although even if he’s outrighted, he can refuse the minor league assignment in favor of free agency and retain his salary.
Draft Signings: Tyler Watson, Josh Rogers
Here are today’s notable draft signings, with all slot information courtesy of Baseball America…
- The Nationals have signed 34th-rounder Tyler Watson to a contract with a $400K bonus, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link). As with any draft pick past the 10th round who signs for more than $100K, the excess (in this case $300K) will count against the club’s draft pool. Washington had room to spare in its approximately $4.120MM draft pool after signing its prospects from the first 10 rounds to just under $3.350MM. Watson is a left-handed high schooler described by Callis as possessing a 91mph fastball and a curveball that “shows promise.”
- The Yankees went roughly $400K above slot to sign 11th-rounder Josh Rogers, a left-handed sophomore from Louisville. Callis reports Rogers signed for “early fourth-round money,” which would indicate a bonus in the $500K-$538K range. Rogers has a fastball can touch the 92mph mark and he can throw three pitches for strikes, according to Callis. As noted in a follow-up tweet from Callis, this leaves New York with around $2.7MM in remaining pool money to sign first-rounder James Kaprielian, who carries a $2.543MM slot value as the 16th overall pick.
Red Sox To Sign Ronald Belisario
The Red Sox will sign right-hander Ronald Belisario, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Belisario is represented by the McNamara Baseball Group.
Belisario signed a split contract with the Rays last winter and only appeared in six big league games with the team, posting a 7.88 ERA over eight relief innings. Belisario then elected free agency after being outrighted off Tampa’s roster. Given how Boston’s bullpen has struggled this year, there’s certainly opportunity for the 32-year-old to find regular work in the Sox relief corps.
Prior to the 2015 season, Belisario held a career 3.75 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.17 K/BB rate over 331 1/3 innings with the Dodgers and White Sox. He’s coming off a tough 5.56 ERA over 66 1/3 IP with Chicago in 2014, though advanced metrics indicate that Belisario was rather unlucky to post such an unsightly ERA. Belisario is a ground-ball specialist (60.9% career grounder rate), which should help him at hitter-friendly Fenway Park.
Red Sox Designate Dalier Hinojosa For Assignment
The Red Sox have made room for lefty Brian Johnson on their 40-man roster by designating righty Dalier Hinojosa for assignment, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets. Johnson is taking Clay Buchholz‘s spot on the active roster as Buchholz deals with a flexor strain.
The Red Sox signed Hinojosa to a $4.25MM minor league contract following the 2013 season after he pitched for many years in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, but the 29-year-old has struggled to make an impact in Boston’s system. He’s spent most of the past two seasons with Triple-A Pawtucket, tossing 103 2/3 innings of relief with a decent 3.56 ERA and 9.0 K/9, but with a too-high 4.3 BB/9. Still, it looked like he might be able to find a role in middle relief in the big leagues. He appeared in one game with the Red Sox this season, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings but walking three batters and hitting another.
Dodgers Designate Matt West For Assignment
The Dodgers have announced that they’ve designated righty Matt West for assignment. The move clears space on their active roster for Brandon Beachy, who has been activated from the 60-day DL to start tonight. They also optioned righty Josh Ravin to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
West, 26, pitched well for Double-A Tulsa since being acquired in a minor deal with the Blue Jays in May, but he’s struggled for Oklahoma City, posting a 7.20 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 20 innings there. He also made two relief appearances in the big leagues in June, allowing no runs while striking out two and walking one in three innings.
Red Sox Promote Brian Johnson
The Red Sox have lefty pitching prospect Brian Johnson, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports (Twitter links). Johnson’s role this weekend is uncertain, MacPherson writes, although he’s likely to join the Red Sox’ rotation after the All-Star break. Eduardo Rodriguez and Wade Miley are scheduled to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Clay Buchholz left last night’s start with an elbow injury. Whether or not Buchholz needs to be placed on the disabled list, Johnson appears to be a reasonable choice to try to stabilize a shaky Sox rotation.
Baseball America ranked Johnson the No. 82 prospect in baseball heading into the season. MLB.com, meanwhile, currently ranks Johnson the No. 90 prospect in the game, noting that Johnson throws 88-94 MPH but with good sinking action, strong secondary pitches and a good feel for pitching.
Johnson, 24, excelled at Double-A Portland last season and has continued to make progress this year at Triple-A Pawtucket, posting a 2.73 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 85 2/3 innings. He was the No. 31 overall pick in the draft out of the University of Florida in 2012.
Rockies Designate Aaron Laffey For Assignment
The Rockies have designated lefty Aaron Laffey for assignment, Nick Groke of the Denver Post tweets. The move clears space on the Rockies’ active roster for reliever Rex Brothers, who the Rockies are promoting from Triple-A Albuquerque.
The Rockies added Laffey to their roster only yesterday, and he allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings yesterday against Atlanta in his first big-league outing since 2013. Earlier this season, he pitched 47 2/3 innings in a tough pitching environment in Albuquerque, posting a 4.91 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 while splitting time between starting and relieving.
Royals Agree To Re-Sign Balbino Fuenmayor
The Royals have agreed to a 2016 deal with minor league first baseman Balbino Fuenmayor, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes (Twitter links). The deal won’t officially be complete until after the season. Fuenmayor is a client of True Gravity Baseball’s Blake Corosky.
The deal is presumably of the minor league variety, but it’s more interesting than the typical minor league pact. The Blue Jays signed Fuenmayor out of Venezuela for a significant bonus in 2006, when he was 16, but they released him in 2013 after he struggled to escape Class A. Last winter, the Royals offered Fuenmayor a minor league deal after he hit brilliantly in the independent Canadian-American Association and in Venezuelan winter ball in 2014.
Fuenmayor has since continued hitting in the upper levels of the Royals’ farm system, batting .354/.386/.591 in 308 plate appearances at Double-A Northwest Arkansas before being promoted to Triple-A Omaha, where he’s hit .427/.408/.846 in his first six games. There are, perhaps, warning signs in his stat line, like a .381 BABIP at Double-A and a low walk rate, but given the hitting ability he’s demonstrated over the past two seasons and the fact that he’s only 25, he likely would have attracted significant interest on the free agent market next winter.