A's add Samardzija in blockbuster with Cubs

MLB.com confirmed reports that the Cubs are trading right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A's for a package of players that includes shortstop prospect Addison Russell, right-hander Dan Straily and outfield prospect Billy McKinney.

A's add Samardzija in blockbuster deal with Cubs

Hammel also going to Oakland; Russell, Straily, McKinney headed to Chicago

Trading season is opening with a blockbuster that strengthens the A's as favorites to win the American League and adds to the Cubs' inventory of outstanding position-player prospects.

MLB.com confirmed reports that the Cubs are trading right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland for a package of players headed by shortstop Addison Russell, who has advanced to Double-A at age 20 and is ranked No. 11 among MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects.

The Cubs also receive right-hander Dan Straily and 19-year-old outfielder Billy McKinney, the A's first-round pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

The deal was first reported by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal on Twitter. Neither club has confirmed the trade.

The A's, swept earlier this week by their postseason nemesis in Detroit, may have decided that their rotation could not match up with the Tigers come October. With the best record and run differential in the Major Leagues, the time for the A's to strike could be now, and this deal seems to confirm that thinking.

To that end, they landed two of the best pitching options available on the trade market. Samardzija has been one of the National League's top starters this season, compiling a 2.83 ERA in 17 starts. He had only two wins, however, and the lack of support may have played a role in his recently declining the Cubs' efforts to extend his contract. He will be under the A's control through 2015, and it seems unlikely that they would be able to extend his contract, given their historically limited payrolls.

Hammel, signed to a one-year contract as a free agent, has been a revelation this season. He's 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA. He was the winning pitcher for the Cubs on Friday in Washington, and he complained afterward that manager Rick Renteria lifted him after only 92 pitches. The Cubs have paid close attention to pitch counts for both Samardzija and Hammel, anticipating the chance that they could deal them.

Having lost A.J. Griffin to Tommy John surgery and with left-hander Drew Pomeranz on the shelf, the A's have been going with Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Jesse Chavez, Tommy Milone and Brad Mills in the rotation. They have tried to give Gray extra days whenever possible because he has never thrown more than the 182 innings he threw combined at Triple-A and the big leagues last year. Chavez, a career reliever, had been fantastic in the rotation, but had never topped 130 innings at any level in one year and already is at 103 for the season. He's been hit hard in his last two outings.

With the trade, the A's can now deploy a rotation that can match the Tigers -- or any team -- with Gray (8-3, 3.08 ERA), Samardzija (2-7, 2.83), Kazmir (9-3, 2.61), Hammel and Milone (6-3, 3.55). Chavez can slide back to the bullpen, which also just received a boost with the return of left-hander Eric O'Flaherty.

Combined with MLB's top-scoring offense, the A's suddenly look like the team to beat in the AL.

For the Cubs, the acquisition of Russell is interesting as the club already is deep in middle-infield prospects. Shortstop Javier Baez hit 37 homers between Class A Advanced and Double-A last season and is currently at Triple-A, playing alongside second baseman Arismendy Alcantara, who is pushing for a spot in the big leagues.

Russell has battled hamstring injuries this year. He was sidelined in Spring Training and then again after the second game of the season but recently was promoted to Double-A Midland, where he has hit .333 with a .939 OPS and three stolen bases in 13 games.

The Cubs may consider dealing Major League shortstop Starlin Castro, who is an All-Star candidate after hitting .290 with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. Along with first baseman Anthony Rizzo, he is the only Cubs player signed to a long-term contract, but the young infielders seem to make him expendable.

The emergence of right-hander Jake Arrieta may have made Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer more willing to deal Samardzija. But the Cubs still face long-term questions about building a supply of pitchers to work in front of the young lineups they will feature in upcoming seasons.

Aroldis sets mark with K in 40 straight games

With a strikeout of Jordy Mercer in the ninth inning of Friday's 6-5 win over the Pirates, Aroldis Chapman set a Major League record, dating back to 1900, for most consecutive relief appearances with a strikeout, fanning a batter in his 40th consecutive game. His streak began on Aug. 21, 2013.

The Indians might show an interest in Yasmani Tomas. Of course, how deep the pocket book is will determine the outcome......as it always is with signing these Cuban ballplayers !

joez wrote:The Indians might show an interest in Yasmani Tomas. Of course, how deep the pocket book is will determine the outcome......as it always is with signing these Cuban ballplayers !

Where do Danys Baez be at?

The Indians have DBS (Danys Baez Syndrome).

Chihuahuas' uniforms the buzz of baseball

El Paso's bold 'Bark at the Park' jersey wows media and fans alike

By Danny Wild / MiLB.com

In a season full of memorable and eye-catcing Minor League theme uniforms, the El Paso Chihuahuas have raised the bar. Or perhaps the bone.

The Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres unveiled its newest look yesterday, a "Bark at the Park" uniform top that, appropriately, is a huge photograph of an actual chihuahua. Photos of the jersey began making their way around the web, and by Thursday afternoon, the dog-inspired threads had been officially dubbed "the best jerseys in sports" by USA Today.

The jerseys -- described by Sports Illustrated as "the most amazing uniforms of all time" -- will be worn by El Paso players during a Pacific Coast League game against Reno on Aug. 3 before being auctioned off to benefit the Humane Society of El Paso. The team, which relocated to Texas this spring, said the uniforms "feature the face of a Chihuahua embodying the spirit of the brand."



That brand has, despite taking a bit of ridicule, proved immensely popular with baseball fans -- the Chihuauas' cap, featuring a slightly more intimidating dog, was voted the best in the Minors earlier this summer by fans.

Since tweeting out a photo of the uniform top on July 16, the buzz around the new look has only grown.

"They are truly a sight to behold," said Nate Scott of USA Today. "Majestic, regal and refined, the jerseys show the zoomed-in-face of a chihuahua on the front. Sports, like me, will never be the same."

Local El Paso ABC station WKVIA described the look as being "special dog face jerseys."

The Washington Post declared a "Minor league team will be dressed to the ca-nines."

"We'll probably never see the day when a big league squad, or any team for that matter, breaks out jerseys like these," Des Bieler wrote for the Post. "The amount of awesome here couldn't possibly fit in a purse.

Sports Illustrated admitted its desire to own one, with Extra Mustard's Hot Clicks blog declaring, "they are spectacular."

Is 18 too soon for Dodgers phenom Julio Urias to debut in big leagues?

By Jeff Passan

July 13, 2014 9:49 PM

Yahoo Sports

MINNEAPOLIS –

He's 17 years old. That's what gets everyone. It's not Julio Urias' 97-mph fastball, which is unforgettable because he fires it left-handed. Nor is it his left eye, which droops because of childhood surgery to remove a tumor. It's the fact that he can barely drive, can't vote, is almost half a decade from a legal beer and could very well pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers next year.

"This guy's got the ability to pitch in the big leagues at 18," Logan White said Sunday morning, a few hours before Urias threw that 97-mph gas and breezed through an impressive 14-pitch inning for the World team in a 3-2 loss to the U.S. in the Futures Game that kicked off baseball's All-Star week. White is the Dodgers' scouting director, and he understands the loaded nature of his words, how the last pitcher to debut in the big leagues as an 18-year-old was Tim Conroy in 1978 – and that was little more than a publicity stunt by Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley.

For now, Urias plies his trade at Class A Rancho Cucamonga, not just holding his own against players on average six years older than him but tearing up the league much as he did last year in the full-season Midwest League. He was all of 16 then, a would-be sophomore in high school, dropping a 2.48 ERA on a league filled with kids who had played college baseball. This was not the sort of teenage life other players lived.

"I was probably egging cars and throwing water balloons at cars," Diamondbacks prospect Braden Shipley said.

"Trying to get on every girl possible," White Sox prospect Micah Johnson said.

"It's hard to explain how a kid who's 17 does everything he does," said Dodgers prospect Corey Seager, Urias' teammate each of the last two seasons. "He's unbelievably composed. His maturity is through the roof. He's just very impressive. There's nothing that frightens him. He doesn't overreact when he gets a bad call. He doesn't throw his glove. Nothing like that ever comes out of him."

For Urias, the Dodgers have perhaps the most fruitful scouting trip in modern baseball history to thank. In June 2012, White flew to Mexico with longtime scouts Mike Brito and Paul Fryer. Their first stop was to see a Cuban kid who had defected. His name was Yasiel Puig. Brito also liked a catcher named Julian Leon, who was working out in Oaxaca. Leon could play, certainly, but he was nothing compared to the 15-year-old lefty whose fastball sat in the low 90s.

Scouts there from other teams couldn't get a good read on the kid. They'd heard rumors. That he had cancer. That he needed chemotherapy. That he could die. It was all false, gossip that mushroomed like a bad game of telephone.

"Lord knows why it was like that," Urias said Sunday through an interpreter, "but God gave me the ability to play baseball."

And he could play. White wasn't a doctor and certainly wasn't going to let speculation affect what he saw. If there was a problem, the Dodgers would find it during a physical. Because no way was he letting Urias go to another team. The Dodgers offered $450,000, and he signed when he turned 16 in August.

He was a revelation almost immediately. His fastball ticked up as he grew into his 6-foot frame. His curveball was demonic. His changeup played and would improve. He threw strikes. More than that, he radiated presence off the mound, an intangible entity, yes, but one scouts value because it speaks to their ability to turn natural ability into performance.

Everyone in the league knew about the Dodgers' 16-year-old. He was mythical.

"I remember last year I faced him in Fort Wayne," said Hunter Renfroe, the Padres' first-round pick in 2013 out of Mississippi State. "I'd just gotten moved up and was hearing about this 16-year-old they had. I was like, a 16-year-old? No chance he's any good.

"I'm hitting third. And of course the first two guys who go up there, he throws three straight fastballs by them. I'm wondering what happened. They didn't even look that hard. So I get up there and watch the first pitch. That one kind of got on me a little bit. Next pitch I swung and fouled it straight back. I'm thinking, 'I'm on you now.' Next pitch is a curveball, and I walked back to the dugout."

It's the sort of inning that gives the Dodgers the feelings – and makes them pump their brakes. Even though Urias could be ready for the major leagues before his 19th birthday on Aug. 12, 2015, the Dodgers don't want to be the team that rushed their prized prospect to the big leagues for him only to flop. They've still got training wheels on Urias, keeping him to low pitch counts and lower innings totals.

"They're trying to take it slow," Urias said. "They know what they're doing. Those are the rules. I'm sticking with it."

Of course, to the idea of hitting the major leagues as an 18-year-old, Urias said: "I'm prepared."

And that's so much of what White loves. He wasn't scared as a 16-year-old in a new country. He acclimated quickly to professional baseball, sneaking in jabs at teammates in improving English, silencing the ones who blab too much with a quick drive-by quip: "Talky talky." He welcomes the comparisons to Fernando Valezuela, a Mexico-bred Dodgers wunderkind of decades past. He loved being the youngest player ever to appear in a Futures Game.

Perhaps the best part was the buzz around him. Everyone here gawked at Texas prospect Joey Gallo's batting practice and the prodigious power of Chicago Cubs prospect Kris Bryant. Urias was every bit the show stealer, too, with U.S. players thinking of him pregame.

"I'm gonna face him today," Johnson said. "It'll be just my luck."

Johnson was prescient. Indeed he did face Urias, who goaded him into a weak groundout. Washington prospect Michael Taylor said Urias was the most impressive of the four pitchers he faced, including Edwin Escobar and Enny Romero, a pair of left-handers at Triple-A.

"This is what I like," Urias said. "This is my passion. You just have to enjoy it. I know that I lost my adolescence and childhood, but it's what I enjoy."

Beats egging cars.

Here's an article written especially for JOE:

Why are Cuban players like Yoenis Cespedes succeeding in big leagues? MLB insider

By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group

on July 20, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated July 20, 2014 at 6:08 AM


Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes won his second straight Home Run Derby at Target Field on Monday night. Cespedes is one of several prominent Cuban players in the big leagues. (Jeff Roberson/Associated Press)


DETROIT, Mich. – In the end, they are baseball players, who learned how to play the game the same way thousands of others have learned to play.

Yoenis Cespedes, who has won the last two Home Run Derbies at the All-Star game, learned how to hit from softball-playing mother.

Jose Abreu, who went into the All-Star break with 29 homers, used to swing a broom handle at the rocks that his father pitched to him.

The difference, of course, is where they learned to play the game. All-Stars

Cespedes, Abreu and Yasiel Puig, three of the big league's most impressive players, defected from Cuba. In fact, in Tuesday's All-Star game at Target Field, there were five Cuban All-Stars including White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez and Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman.

Chapman and Ramirez are known quantities, but Cespedes, Abreu and Puig are the new wave. They all have power and so much run producing ability that the question has to be asked – do all Cuban players swing it like these guys?

"It sure seems that way," said John Mirabelli, Indians director of pro scouting, with a laugh. "I will say there are a lot of good baseball players in Cuba."

They might not all run like Puig or hit like Cespedes and Abreu, but Mirabelli said it is not happening by accident.

"No. 1, they play games in Cuba," said Mirabelli. "They're playing competitive games. It's not just workouts and tryouts.

"From a very young age, they're in real games, competing, seeing sliders and breaking balls. They know how to play the game, know how pitchers attack them.

They play way more games than any young players in Latin America and that's a big thing."

The second factor is that the government recruits Cuba's best young players to play on various national teams.

"Because they get chosen by the government when they're very young, they're afforded nutrition, strength and conditioning, structure and coaching," said Mirabelli. "They get a lot of benefits that other Latin players don't get. That leads to the success they've had."

When a Cuban player's talents and desires out-grow his island, there is only way to reach the big leagues. He must defect, leaving family and country behind. It's a dangerous and lonely decision, but there is big money for those with big talent.

Oakland signed Cespedes to a four-year $36 million deal. The White Sox signed Abreu for six years and $68 million. The Dodgers signed Puig for seven years and $42 million.

Mirabelli and the Indians scouted all three players. The talent was obvious. The questions were twofold.

How long would it take for them to get to the big leagues and how do you place a value on a player you know so little about.

"It's hard to hit in the big leagues," said Mirabelli. "They've got shifts and charts and it's just hard to get a hit. How quickly they've acclimated and made that transition probably surprised me a little bit."

The value question is still a hard one swallow for mid-to-small market teams like the Indians. The Indians knew the market value on free agents Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and Dave Murphy when they signed them over the last two years. They knew because they'd been able to scout them for years as big leaguers, minor leaguers and amateurs.

How do you put a price tag on a player you've seen only in international tournaments and in private workouts?

"You can look at these guys and say he's athletic, he has some All-Star upside and could be a run producer," said Mirabelli. "Then you get into how do you value that? Is he worth $68 million . . .$42 million? It's a risk for us in a small market.

"We can see the tools and feel pretty good about our judgment. The value is the really tricky part. Hey, but the teams that signed those guys got All-Star players so it's hard to say they were overpaid."

It's a gamble for any team, but not for the Cuban player. If he wants to play against the best, he has little choice but defect and see what the future holds.

On Monday night, the future looked and bright for Cespedes as he talked to reporters after winning his second straight Home Run Derby. He's a key cog on the first-place Oakland A's and his family, including the mother who taught him how to swing the bat, was with him in the interview room after following him out of Cuba.

This week in baseball

There are three strikes in an out and three outs in every half inning. Here are two more sets of three to think about from last week in baseball. (All stats through Friday).

Three up

1. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley made his sixth start as the NL's All-Star second baseman Tuesday. The only two NL second basemen with more are Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg (nine) and Joe Morgan (seven).

2. Texas right-hander Yu Darvish struck out 12 Blue Jays on Friday night for his 26h career game with 10 or more strikeouts. He ranks second in team history behind Nolan Ryan (34).

3. Oakland's Josh Donaldson, the first A's player to win a fan election to the All-Star game since Jason Giambi in 2000, gave Oakland its seventh walk-off victory Friday with a three-run homer against Baltimore.

Three down

1. Yankee left-hander CC Sabathia will need season-ending surgery Tuesday on his right knee. New York has lost four-fifths of its opening day rotation to injury.

2. The Brewers staggered into the All-Star break losing 11 of their last 13 games as their lead in the NL Central tumbled from 6 ½ games to one.

3. The Rangers have fallen from seven games out in the AL West on June 17 to 21 games behind first-place Oakland. They have not gained ground since June 16.

Tribe talk

"I found a fence. I took four baseballs and threw them into a fence. Walked over and picked them up. That's what I did all through high school," right-hander Trevor Bauer on how he spent one of his off days in Cleveland last week during the All-Star break.

MLB talk

"When they came out and told me I had a choice, I was pretty pumped. I got my dad a truck a couple of weeks ago, so I had to go with the Corvette," Angels' outfielder Mike Trout on how he decided to take a Corvette over a pickup truck after being named MVP of the All-Star game.

Stat-o-matic

Lead the way: Miguel Cabrera, the key to the Tiger offense, hit .383 in their victories headed into the All-Star break and .190 in their losses. (Detroit News).

Whoa, Nellie: Nelson Cruz's 28 homers before the break were the third most in Baltimore history behind Chris Davis (37 in 2013) and Brad Anderson (30 in 1996).

Do it all: Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen became the first player in team history to hit a game-tying homer and a game-winning homer in the ninth inning or later in the same game. McCutchen hit a game-tying solo homer in the ninth and a game-winning solo homer in the 11th in a 6-5 win over the Reds on July 12.

The list

Here's how the top six hitters in the American League ranked in batting average coming out of the All-Star break.

Player Team Average

1. Adrian Beltre Rangers .337 (104-for-309).

2. Jose Altuve Astros .335 (130-for-388).

3. Robinson Cano Mariners .334 (118-for-353).

4. Lonnie Chisenhall Indians .328 (86-for-262).

5. Victor Martinez Tigers .328 (99-for-302).

6. Michael Brantley Indians .322 (113-for351).

Thanks JR

Is 18 too soon for Dodgers phenom Julio Urias to debut in big leagues?

Of course it is.

Cubs promote blue chips Soler, Almora

Club's No. 6 prospect heads for Iowa, No. 4 prospect takes his place

By Josh Jackson / MiLB.com

07/23/2014 3:05 AM ET

Albert Almora tallied 149 total bases over 89 Florida State League games. (Mark LoMoglio/Tampa Yankees)


The Chicago Cubs took another step closer to their apparently bright future Tuesday, promoting two of baseball's Top 100 prospects.

Albert Almora, who ranks 14th overall and fourth among Cubs prospects, is on the move from Class A Advanced Daytona to Double-A Tennessee, while Chicago's No. 6 prospect Jorge Soler (40th overall) is headed from Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa.

Almora hit for the cycle last Monday and exits the Florida State League with a .283/.306/.406 slash line. In his final game with the Class A Advanced Cubs before the promotion, the 20-year-old center fielder homered and collected three RBIs.

The sixth overall pick of 2012, Almora will join a Smokies team that also features the 11th pick from his Draft class -- recently acquired shortstop prospect Addison Russell.

Soler, who signed a nine-year Major League deal with Chicago in 2012 after defecting from Cuba via Haiti, struggled through hamstring injuries early this year but has hit .415 through 22 Southern League games.

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Soler has hit six home runs -- including two on July 13 -- nine doubles and a triple in his short Smokies stint. He collected 22 RBIs.

While on the mend at the Cubs' facilities in Arizona, Soler worked with Manny Ramirez, who is serving in a player/coach role with Triple-A Iowa. In addition to Ramirez, the right fielder will be reunited with top Chicago prospect Javier Baez along with No. 2 Kris Bryant.

Soler suffered a stress fracture and was limited to 55 Florida State League games in 2013, but he went on to bat .271 with a homer and 14 RBIs over 20 Arizona Fall League games.

[ It appears that the last of the Cuban heavy hitters is preparing to debut in the majors this year while Tomas is still waiting for his citizenship papers in the Dominican ]

Chapman tops 100 on 15 pitches vs. D-backs

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman threw 20 pitches on Monday night and 15 of them were fastballs. None of Chapman's fastballs were clocked at less than 101 mph and the average speed of those pitches was 102 mph. Chapman hit 104 mph on a pitch to Paul Goldschmidt and hit 103 mph five times in the inning.

Major league hitter can hit any speed if it's in the middle of the plate.

Pitching is location first, movement second and velocity third.

Yep! And Chapman has all three. He's come a long way since his rookie season.