Draft Signings: Beck, Thompson, Copeland, Renda
In a Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Keith Law listed some interesting names for the 2013 draft. College players like Austin Wilson and Ryne Stanek headline the crop along with high schoolers Austin Meadows and Clinton Hollon. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here are the latest miscellaneous signings from this year's class…
- The White Sox have signed second rounder Chris Beck for $600K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Full slot value for the right-hander from Georgia Southern was $670K.
- In addition to Beck, the White Sox have agreed to terms with 23 other draft picks according to a release. Fourth rounder Brandon Brennan highlights the list.
- The Tigers have signed second rounder Jake Thompson for a straight slot $532K bonus, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school right-hander from Texas was Detroit's top pick after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Prince Fielder.
- The Nationals announced the signing of 23 draft picks in a press release, including second rounder Tony Renda and fourth rounder Brandon Miller.
- The Rays have signed third rounder Bralin Jackson for $325K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school outfielder from Missouri was slotted for a $216K bonus.
- The Marlins have signed supplemental third rounder Kolby Copeland for a straight slot $367K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The pick was compensation for failing to sign the previous year's third rounder. Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA first reported the news (on Twitter).
- The Twins have signed fifth rounder Tyler Duffey, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick is $267K.
- The Astros have signed five more draft picks according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter), including sixth rounder Brett Phillips.
Quick Hits: Teahen, Soler, Ethier, Hamilton, Youkilis
The Dodgers officially announced their five-year, $85MM extension with Andre Ethier this afternoon on a day that featured lots of draft news. Here are some of Tuesday’s non-draft-related links, starting in Los Angeles…
- Mark Teahen can opt-out of his minor league contract with the Nationals if not called up by June 15th, MLBTR has learned. The 30-year-old has hit .293/.347/.404 with Washington's Triple-A affiliate while playing all four corner spots.
- Jorge Soler is still in the process of securing a visa prior to officially signing with the Cubs, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). That could take about a week.
- The Dodgers’ deal with Ethier could eliminate them from the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes after the season, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (Twitterlinks). This could limit Hamilton’s leverage with the Rangers whenever the sides resume contract talks.
- Olney points to the abundance of quality outfielders nearing free agency and suggests it makes sense for the players to accept deals now instead of waiting for what could be a buyer’s market.
- There are no new developments in contract discussions between Cole Hamels and the Phillies or Zack Greinke and the Brewers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- GM Sandy Alderson told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that the Mets haven't drawn up plans to buy or sell this summer. Davidoff suggests that the Mets could decide to stay the course at the upcoming trade deadline.
- One scout watched Kevin Youkilis play and wasn’t impressed, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). "For what he costs, he can't do anything," the scout said.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Draft Signings: Orioles, Angels, Tigers
Some significant signings from the second round and on…
- Elliott Waterman, Washington’s 13th round selection, agreed to sign with the Nationals for $100K, MLBTR has learned.
- The Orioles signed third round pick Adrian Marin for $481K, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (all Twitter links). That’s precisely the bonus MLB recommends for the 99th overall selection. Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said "significant number" of picks have signed and are undergoing physicals, Connolly reports.
- The Angels announced they have agreed to sign 11 draft picks, including four of their first five selections. Right-hander R.J. Alvarez, the club’s third round selection, is one of the players to agree to terms. All of the 11 players are "at or very close to" their slotted amounts, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports (on Twitter).
- Right-hander Jake Thompson told James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press that he expects to sign with the Tigers tomorrow. The Tigers selected the high schooler with the 91st overall selection last week.
NL East Notes: Nationals, Phillies, Bernazard
Some notes from the National League East before the Nationals, Marlins and Braves suit up for three of the day's four MLB games…
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo discussed baseball's new collective bargaining agreement and the relationship between scouting and player development with David Laurila of FanGraphs.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports makes the case that Nationals rookie Bryce Harper and Angels rookie Mike Trout should be All-Stars in 2012.
- The Phillies need more talent and can't afford to wait until Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay return, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Murphy also discusses Charlie Manuel's bullpen management following yesterday's loss, a game in which Jonathan Papelbon did not pitch.
- Former MLB player and Mets exec Tony Bernazard is now working in player relations for the Boras Corporation, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. The Mets let Bernazard go in 2009.
Minor Moves: Kris Watts, Tim Sexton
Keeping track of the day's minor moves…
- The Nationals have acquired minor league catcher Kris Watts from the Pirates in exchange for cash, as announced on the Pirates' official Twitter feed. Watts was Pittsburgh's 16th-round pick in the 2006 draft and has a .259/.357/.385 line in 1702 career minor league plate appearances.
- The Royals signed right-hander Tim Sexton, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The 24-year-old pitched in the Dodgers' organization last year, posting a 5.48 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 162 2/3 innings at Triple-A and Class A. In five minor league seasons he has a 5.15 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America details the remainder of the week's minor transactions.
Nationals Notes: Draft Signings, Mooneyham
Nationals scouting director Kris Kline discussed his club's draft today with the media, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post….
- The Nationals have agreed to terms with second baseman Tony Renda (second round), outfielder Brandon Miller (fourth round) and catcher Spencer Kieboom (fifth round). The team has also agreed to terms with "several college seniors taken in later rounds."
- Kline believes third-round pick Brett Mooneyham will sign "relatively quickly." Mooneyham, a left-handed pitcher out of Stanford, is advised by Scott Boras. Kline spoke highly of Mooneyham's athleticism and potential, describing the pitcher as, at worst, "a Matt Thornton-type bullpen guy."
- The team's draft day war room included a draft board charting prospects by how likely they were to sign. The Nationals called prospects each round with a set bonus figure in mind and asked if they would accept. “If it was a ‘no,’ we passed,” Kline said. “If they were hesitant at all, we passed. You just have to….We had to do our due diligence with signability with everybody with the new system in place, because you have limitations. There’s certain guys that were requiring too much money.”
NL East Notes: Galvis, Halladay, Harper
The Phillies announced that they placed infielder Freddy Galvis on the 15-day disabled list and recalled utility player Michael Martinez from Triple-A. Here are some links from the NL East…
- Roy Halladay intends to win a World Series in Philadelphia, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports doesn't consider the Phillies a championship caliber team given their age and declining performances. Halladay said he aims to retire as a Phillie — a more attainable goal in Morosi's view. Because of Halladay's DL stint, he's on track for free agency following the 2013 season unless he completes 225 innings next year and 415 innings total over 2012-13.
- Bryce Harper's historically hot start has caught his teammates' attention, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The 19-year-old outfielder is on track to finish the season with a historically high OPS for someone so young. Harper, who knows fellow top prospect Mike Trout personally, says he'd enjoy playing with Trout — as long as it's with the Nationals. “I don’t want to leave here, I can tell you that,” Harper said.
- The Nationals announced that they recalled Tyler Moore from Triple-A and placed Carlos Maldonado on the 15-day disabled list.
NL East Notes: Stanton, Marlins, Halladay, Nationals
The Nationals topped the Mets tonight 5-3 behind a solid performance from starter Edwin Jackson. Here's a look at tonight's items out of the National League East..
- Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton admitted to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that the thought of a multiyear deal crossed his mind recently when Adam Jones signed a five-year, $85.5MM extension with the Orioles. However, the rightfielder made it clear that he's not dwelling on it either. "It's not like I'm thinking, 'Tomorrow I'm going to get a call or we're going to have a meeting','" Stanton said. "I really don't care until the time comes. The better I play, maybe the faster they'll want to do something."
- Phillies hurler Roy Halladay likely won't hit the required number of innings to help make his 2014 option vest, but he still hopes to end his career in Philadelphia, writes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Halladay is set to earn $20MM in each of the next two seasons with a $20MM vesting option for '14.
- The Nationals have held workouts for 16-year-old outfielder Gustavo Cabrera and 17-year-old shortstop Wendell Rijo, two of the top Dominican prospects eligible to sign before July 2nd, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Draft Notes: Diamondbacks, Zimmer, Red Sox, Astros
The latest on the MLB draft, which has reached its conclusion after three busy days…
- The Diamondbacks are "close" to agreeing to terms with first-round pick Stryker Trahan, tweets Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The high school catcher was tabbed with the No. 26 pick.
- The Royals appear to be close to a deal with fifth-overall pick Kyle Zimmer, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The right-hander will likely start with the club's Arizona League affiliate but may go to Idaho Falls instead.
- The Red Sox are nearing deals with supplemental first round selection Pat Light and second rounder Jamie Callahan, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- ESPN.com's Keith Law reviews the draft class of each National League team, noting that he loves what the Astros did. The Padres impressed Law early on, and he liked the Nationals' selection of Lucas Giolito.
- A legal dispute in Ohio could impact the future use of advisors, as Darren Heitner explains in a piece at Forbes.com. The MLBPA has warned agents that a case involving the former representatives of Andy Oliver “could represent a significant threat” to agents by placing restrictions on who can represent athletes who live or attend school in Ohio.
- There have been lots of pre-draft agreements between teams and players, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick hears (Twitter link). "It's a bigger joke this year than it's ever been,'' one agent told Crasnick.
Nats Talked With Dodgers And Rockies About Lannan
The Nationals have had recent discussions with the Dodgers and Rockies about pitcher John Lannan, but no trade is close, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Sources say that the Nats want a club to pay the rest of his remaining salary and give up at least one legitimate player.
Talks between the Dodgers and Nationals have been only preliminary, according to sources, while the Rockies kicked the tires on the pitcher before being turned off by the price. For the Dodgers, Lannan would be an alternative to left-hander Ted Lilly while he is sidelined with a shoulder issue.
Lannan, 27, is now owed less than $3.5MM of his $5MM total salary. The left-hander will be arbitration eligible this offseason and is in line for free agency the year after. Lannan has been less-than-stellar through ten starts with Triple-A Syracuse, posting an ERA of 5.62 with 4.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.