Draft/ International Signing Day?

[Quake Griffin]

Tim Dierkes ?@mlbtrdodgers · 3m3 minutes ago

Dodgers Hold Private Workout For Cuban Righty Vladimir Gutierrez http://bit.ly/1Y1OEK9 #dodgers


Guerrero Gone.
Crawford Gone.
Possibly Vlad.

my eyes are tearing up.
Smart stuff is going on all at once.

[Ranma]

[Quake Griffin]

Dammit, I copied it from a thread I saw yesterday.

Apparently this might have happened already.
http://www.baseballessential.com/news/2016/06/03/source-cuban-prospect-vladimir-gutierrez-throwing-dodgers-tomorrow/
^
Article is June 3rd and says he'll be throwing at Dodger Stadium tomorrow....today is the 6th.


Come on boys....sign this man.

[Ranma]

I think Shohei needs to work on his finesse stuff beyond his supreme fastball but he's made impressive strides with his batting by hitting .337/.427/.673 in 124 plate appearances with nine home runs, 17 walks and 26 strikeouts so far.

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[Ranma]

The Reds are rumored to be hosting a workout today for Vladimir Gutierrez and Lazaro Armenteros.

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Dustin Nosler, DodgersDigest.com (6/13/16)

The Dodgers desperately need an offensive upgrade. Third base is the logical spot because of Turner’s massive struggles this season. Dodger third baseman on the whole have an 83 wRC+ — 4th-worst in baseball. Their .121 ISO is 6th-worst in baseball. Defensively, they are 5th-best. I’m not sure Gurriel makes that any better, but if he’s as good as advertised, he’d definitely improve those offensive numbers.
...

Or, the Dodgers need to sign Gurriel and push Turner to a utility role. Having Turner in that role would reduce his playing time, as he has started 81.1 percent of the Dodgers’ games at third base (compared to 54.3 percent last year and 27.8 percent in 2014). Coming off microfracture knee surgery (and Turner claims his knee has never felt better), it’d be ideal for him to get more rest. Maybe that’s impacting his production, or maybe his timing is off (and has been for 2-plus months). Whatever the reason for his struggles, getting a break and having some pressure taken off Turner might help Turner be a more effective player, because playing every day isn’t helping him or the team.

Best-case scenario is Gurriel signs sometime in the next few weeks, goes out on a minor-league assignment since he hasn’t played organized ball in a year and is ready for the majors in August — you know, right around the trading deadline. He might be the best and most logical offensive upgrade the Dodgers can acquire before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Cuban 3B Yulieski Gurriel Free to Sign, Dodgers Interested


Jesse Sanchez joins The Rundown 06/13/16 | 00:03:17
Jesse Sanchez joins The Rundown from Chase Field via the Ball Park Cam to provide a report on infielder Yulieski Gurriel

[Quake Griffin]

Does this workout mean we've lost Young Vlad?

[Ranma]

Does this workout mean we've lost Young Vlad?

I doubt it. It just seems like Vlad's camp is doing its due diligence. This was part of his scheduled plans beforehand from what I can tell. The Dodgers needed time to collect the data and information gathered from his recent workouts including the private one held by them in order to discuss with the think tank in our front office. From there, they'll put a valuation on what type of offer they'll present to Gutierrez assuming the organization is interested, which is a safe assumption.

This is not like NFL free agency where high-profile UFA players typically sign with teams during their first visits. The Dodgers were highly unlikely to be wowed by his workout performance and offer him a contract on the spot. They like to discuss things internally and take into account all factors and scenarios before presenting a final offer. I'm fairly sure the Dodgers have kept in contact with Gutierrez's camp throughout the process and it is unlikely for us to be beaten out by competing offers depending on how interested we are in Vladimir Gutierrez. Having said that, the deadline to sign for the current international signing period is Wednesday, June 15th so we'll know one way or the other soon.

[Quake Griffin]

Ben Badler
?@BenBadler
Ben Badler Retweeted nate

Yes. Dodgers seem to be lining up their plan to sign more players by tomorrow.

[Ranma]

Dustin Nosler, DodgersDigest.com (6/14/16)

So one last splash would make the already successful 2015-16 period even better (despite losing out on Lucius Fox to the Giants last July 2).

The biggest names connected with the Dodgers as the deadline looms are Lazaro Armenteros and Vladimir Gutierrez. They reportedly held a private workout for both Gutierrez and have had a presence at his past workouts. Badler has linked the Dodgers to him in the past as well.

If the Dodgers sign a big-name player, odds are quite good it’ll be Gutierrez. I doubt they land Armenteros, as he has a little baggage that isn’t entirely his fault. Also, he’s just not as good a prospect as some are making him out to be.

Int'l Signing Deadline Approaches, Dodgers Might Make Last-Second Push


Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com (6/14/16)

Cuban infielder Yuliesky Gurriel is the best kind of deadline addition, at least for teams that can afford him. Gurriel became an unrestricted free agent on Monday; a team can sign him without sacrificing prospects or even international bonus money.

One top international scout described Gurriel, 32, as an "everyday third baseman," saying he would perform well over a four-year contract. Another scout, who last saw Gurriel in the 2015 Caribbean Series, also spoke highly of the player.

"He still has something in him," the scout said. "He stays in good shape. I think he can contribute to a big-league club. In what role? How many years could he play at that level? I don't know."

"He's a good athlete. He keeps his body young. He can still hit with power -- not the power he had in the past, but enough to hit the gaps and take the ball out of the park. And he always has been able to play defense."

Gurriel, who can play either third base or second, likely will need 3 to 5 weeks after he signs to get assimilated and ready. If he reaches a deal by the end of the month, he will be in position to make an impact in the second half.

The Dodgers, who rank next-to-last in the majors in OPS at third base, loom as an obvious fit for Gurriel; Justin Turner has mostly struggled, and is a free agent at the end of the season.

The Mets also would make sense for Gurriel, who could step in for the injured David Wright, then replace potential free agent Neil Walker at second next season. The Yankees are another club in need of offense, but third baseman Chase Headley is under contract through 2018.

Notes: Will the Yankees Really Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline?

[Quake Griffin]

please bring Vlad home today.

[Quake Griffin]

Ben Badler ‏@BenBadler 1h1 hour ago
Vladimir Gutierrez, Randy Arozarena, Lazaro Armenteros, Jorge Ona, Norge Ruiz, Adrian Morejon, Cionel Perez will wait until July 2 to sign.
15 retweets 12 likes


We will not be bringing Vlad home today. He will be pitching elsewhere.
He would have been such a great addition.

[Quake Griffin]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/baseball-america-prospect-chat-11/#CFlYdD4IXxpCUg64.97

Ben Badler's chat.
Fans asking if the MLB intentionally made these guys FAs late to make life tough on teams like the Dodgers.
Ben said he doesnt know if that is the case.

[Quake Griffin]

Wait....just saw this on another forum.

DJ ?@SwerdCenter · 3m3 minutes ago

The #Dodgers are in agreement with 19-year-old Cuban OF/1B Yordan Alvarez on a $2 million deal

[Quake Griffin]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dodgers-sign-yordan-alvarez-signing-period-closes/#O7kwbirWEXVkY6TM.97

write up on Yordan with some video.

[Quake Griffin]

Not thrilled with the write up on Yordan.

Average Power. Lots of ground balls. Stiff at 1B.


Minor League Moves ‏@MiLBmoves 13h13 hours ago
The Dodgers have signed 21-year old Dominican pitcher Raymond Taveras.
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Cant make heads or tails of this signing....can't find anything about it anywhere except this tweet.

[Ranma]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dodgers-sign-yordan-alvarez-signing-period-closes/#O7kwbirWEXVkY6TM.97

write up on Yordan with some video.

It's interesting that Vladimir Gutierrez chose to wait until July 2nd to sign with someone else. I'm curious to hear what the Dodgers offered him, so hopefully that info will leak soon. I mentioned before that he was not worth Yadier Alvarez's $16-million deal or Yusniel Diaz's $15.5 million, but I did think that he might be a bargain for under $10 million. I suspect he has a deal lined up with another team after the 2-week wait, so it'll be interesting to see who he ends up going to and for how much. Gutierrez would have been a good addition to our haul from the international signings, but I'm not overly disappointed that we missed out on him despite the fact that I think he's better than Yasiel Sierra. As for Lazarito and Arozarena, I'll say again that they're no big losses even if they do possess intriguing tools.

This Alvarez kid has a projectable body but the video in the BA article shows nothing but ground balls, which matches what was stated in the article about his tendency of not generating lift in his stroke. There's no mention of the kid's speed despite his inclination to hit mostly ground balls. He signed for less than Starling Heredia and the same as Rony Brito, but both seem like clearly better prospects than him.

Also, now that I think about it, I find it interesting that Omar Estevez signed for $6 millon, which is the same amount Lucius Fox ended up getting from the Giants. I know Fox's situation had to do with him reneging on his agreement with the Dodgers, but Fox is clearly the better prospect. In fact, I don't even think he's better than either Heredia or Brito, but based on the valuation of his signing bonus that seems to indicate otherwise, so it'll be interesting if Estevez's bat can live up to such a contract.

In any case, with us missing out on Gutierrez and MLB allegedly or possibly trying to minimize our international signing efforts, it should be no holds barred in our pursuit of the Gurriel brothers and eventually Shohei Ohtani, so everyone else can suck it.

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Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com (6/15/16)

Alvarez, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound outfielder, will turn 19 on June 27. He's known as an athletic contact hitter who has shown some power. He hit .279 with a .342 on-base percentage and slugged .327 in two seasons for Las Tunas in Cuba's Serie Nacional. He can also play first base.
...

The Dodgers also signed right-handed pitcher Ramon Rosso, outfielder Carlos Rincon and shortstop Damaso Marte Jr. from the Dominican Republic; Venezuelan shortstop Luis Rodriguez and second baseman Aldo Espinoza from Nicaragua. Marte, the son of former Major League pitcher Damaso Marte, signed for a $300,000 bonus.

The club later inked Cuban infielder Omar Estevez for $6 million.

Sources: Dodgers Have Deal with Cuban OF Alvarez


Ben Badler, Baseball America (6/16/16)

Since Alvarez didn’t play much in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, my looks at him while he was in Cuba were limited to just a handful of at-bats. Alvarez had a long, lean build in Cuba, but those who have seen him more recently said he has gotten stronger and filled out to 6-foot-5, 220 pounds.

He has a simple lefthanded swing, drawing praise from scouts highest on him for his bat control and ability to manage the strike zone well for his age. While Alvarez never showed much power in Cuba, he has since earned average to above-average raw power grades from scouts who have followed him at workouts. Some evaluators said he sometimes struggles to tap into that power in games in part because he doesn’t always generate enough lift in his stroke (58 percent of his batted balls were groundballs during his final season in Cuba).

An offensive-minded prospect, Alvarez was a first baseman in Cuba and has worked out for clubs in left field as well. Scouts who followed him since he left Cuba said his defense will need improvement at first base, where he plays upright with limited flexibility.

Dodgers Sign Yordan Alvarez As Signing Period Closes

[Quake Griffin]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dodgers-sign-yordan-alvarez-signing-period-closes/#O7kwbirWEXVkY6TM.97

write up on Yordan with some video.

It's interesting that Vladimir Gutierrez chose to wait until July 2nd to sign with someone else. I'm curious to hear what the Dodgers offered him, so hopefully that info will leak soon. I mentioned before that he was not worth Yadier Alvarez's $16-million deal or Yusniel Diaz's $15.5 million, but I did think that he might be a bargain for under $10 million. I suspect he has a deal lined up with another team after the 2-week wait, so it'll be interesting to see who he ends up going to and for how much. Gutierrez would have been a good addition to our haul from the international signings, but I'm not overly disappointed that we missed out on him despite the fact that I think he's better than Yasiel Sierra. As for Lazarito and Arozarena, I'll say again that they're no big losses even if they do possess intriguing tools.

This Alvarez kid has a projectable body but the video in the BA article shows nothing but ground balls, which matches what was stated in the article about his tendency of not generating lift in his stroke. There's no mention of the kid's speed despite his inclination to hit mostly ground balls. He signed for less than Starling Heredia and the same as Rony Brito, but both seem like clearly better prospects than him.

Also, now that I think about it, I find it interesting that Omar Estevez signed for $6 millon, which is the same amount Lucius Fox ended up getting from the Giants. I know Fox's situation had to do with him reneging on his agreement with the Dodgers, but Fox is clearly the better prospect. In fact, I don't even think he's better than either Heredia or Brito, but based on the valuation of his signing bonus that seems to indicate otherwise, so it'll be interesting if Estevez's bat can live up to such a contract.

In any case, with us missing out on Gutierrez and MLB allegedly or possibly trying to minimize our international signing efforts, it should be no holds barred in our pursuit of the Gurriel brothers and eventually Shohei Ohtani, so everyone else can suck it.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BenBadler/status/743304513746960384[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/JesseSanchezMLB/status/743311164071763969[/tweet]

Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com (6/15/16)

Alvarez, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound outfielder, will turn 19 on June 27. He's known as an athletic contact hitter who has shown some power. He hit .279 with a .342 on-base percentage and slugged .327 in two seasons for Las Tunas in Cuba's Serie Nacional. He can also play first base.
...

The Dodgers also signed right-handed pitcher Ramon Rosso, outfielder Carlos Rincon and shortstop Damaso Marte Jr. from the Dominican Republic; Venezuelan shortstop Luis Rodriguez and second baseman Aldo Espinoza from Nicaragua. Marte, the son of former Major League pitcher Damaso Marte, signed for a $300,000 bonus.

The club later inked Cuban infielder Omar Estevez for $6 million.

Sources: Dodgers Have Deal with Cuban OF Alvarez


Ben Badler, Baseball America (6/16/16)

Since Alvarez didn’t play much in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, my looks at him while he was in Cuba were limited to just a handful of at-bats. Alvarez had a long, lean build in Cuba, but those who have seen him more recently said he has gotten stronger and filled out to 6-foot-5, 220 pounds.

He has a simple lefthanded swing, drawing praise from scouts highest on him for his bat control and ability to manage the strike zone well for his age. While Alvarez never showed much power in Cuba, he has since earned average to above-average raw power grades from scouts who have followed him at workouts. Some evaluators said he sometimes struggles to tap into that power in games in part because he doesn’t always generate enough lift in his stroke (58 percent of his batted balls were groundballs during his final season in Cuba).

An offensive-minded prospect, Alvarez was a first baseman in Cuba and has worked out for clubs in left field as well. Scouts who followed him since he left Cuba said his defense will need improvement at first base, where he plays upright with limited flexibility.

Dodgers Sign Yordan Alvarez As Signing Period Closes

I think a team with deep pockets like the Yankees convinced him that they will overpay and center their class around him. So while he might not be worth the $16 mill Yadier got, I have to think he's going to get around that much...otherwise, what was the incentive????

Missing on him now doubles the pain of losing out on Lucius Fox....the 1st pow wow there being that he is with our hated division rivals. But also by missing on Fox and not taking from Delvin Perez (again, truly hoping Gasparino just happened to love Lux more w/o the PED scandal), I can't help but thing we've missed 2 of our best opportunities at acquiring our SS of the future and Brito is too young at this point to push all of our chips in.

At this point if I could view the weaknesses of our system....it's a definite projectable SS for when Seager outgrows the position and of course, right handed bat with some pop in it. I've honestly wondered if there was a way for us to get our hands on Crawford in Philly or Albies (Baby Furcal is what i call him) in Atlanta since they have Swanson who will be ready to go soon.

[Neddy]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dodgers-sign-yordan-alvarez-signing-period-closes/#O7kwbirWEXVkY6TM.97

write up on Yordan with some video.

there is only 3 at bats in that video, that's not enough to judge an 18 year old.
but from little that I saw in that video, his bat speed was very variable. it tells me that he is not a player who have his method figured out but a natural athlete who simply reacts to the pitches. you don't see that at his age in the States because of the rigid coaching our kids grow up in since about 13 in a traveling league, they already have a style they all have adapted and sticks to. this kid is at least showing a massive frame and there may possibly be an untapped potential that comes from a raw young player with significantly gifted physical tools.

then again, all they had was 3 at bats. as ridiculous as it is for me to conclude that he is somehow the next great thing, so is to dismiss him already from that 3 at bats video.

[Ranma]

I think a team with deep pockets like the Yankees convinced him that they will overpay and center their class around him. So while he might not be worth the $16 mill Yadier got, I have to think he's going to get around that much...otherwise, what was the incentive????

Missing on him now doubles the pain of losing out on Lucius Fox....the 1st pow wow there being that he is with our hated division rivals. But also by missing on Fox and not taking from Delvin Perez (again, truly hoping Gasparino just happened to love Lux more w/o the PED scandal), I can't help but thing we've missed 2 of our best opportunities at acquiring our SS of the future and Brito is too young at this point to push all of our chips in.

At this point if I could view the weaknesses of our system....it's a definite projectable SS for when Seager outgrows the position and of course, right handed bat with some pop in it. I've honestly wondered if there was a way for us to get our hands on Crawford in Philly or Albies (Baby Furcal is what i call him) in Atlanta since they have Swanson who will be ready to go soon.

I think you're onto something, but it won't be the Yankees as they're one of the 10 teams barred from signing international players for more than $300,000 during the next signing period. I'm pretty sure it will either be the Braves or the Padres, who both plan on blowing out their respective allotted pool money. Gutierrez would not be the center of the Braves' international FA class as that would be Kevin Maitan; the Braves are also the favorites to sign Abrahan Gutierrez, so he wouldn't even be the best Gutierrez for them IMO despite consensus opinion saying otherwise. The Padres are the favorites to sign Luis Almanzar the top SS in the international class who looks like a better prospect than either Lux or Fox, so he wouldn't even be the top signing for San Diego either.

I suppose a team like the White Sox or Pirates could make him their featured signing for their respective international class, especially since both are known for developing and rehabilitating pitchers, but neither is known for spending big money, The Reds could be the favorites to sign him as they supposedly worked him out on Monday and are anticipated to make a big splashing during the upcoming international signing period themselves. However, with the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox all locked out of the bidding, it is highly unlikely that he'll get anywhere close to the $16 million that Yadier Alvarez signed for. Keep in mind that the penalty tax would make the total expenditure about $32 million for the signing team at such a price tag. This just makes it that much more unlikely that he'll get anything over $10 million. Maitan, the top international player in the entire class, is rumored to have agreed to a $4-million deal so V. Gutierrez wouldn't really deserve to get more than him, however, Cuban players tend to get paid more than Venezuelans for some reason.

While Lucius Fox was initially thought to be a possible Brandon Crawford type initially upon signing with the Giants, there have been more questions about whether he'll stick at SS rather than CF whereas Gavin Lux is anticipated to stay at SS as he develops. Between the two, I have to think that Lux is the better prospect, so at least we got that. I've actually been wondering had we signed Fox, would Lux have been our top draft choice; I'm going to assume that would be the case based on Gasparino's comments that Lux was higher than Delvin Perez on his draft board (post PED flag).

I doubt we'll get Crawford from Philadelphia but I like your thinking with Atlanta having Swanson in the fold. I'm not really fretting about adding a SS prospect at this point since I'm putting my eggs in the basket of having Manny Machado be our SS for the foreseeable future taking over for Corey Seager at that position. I mean we could definitely use depth in the minors at that position but I don't see us paying the premium price for other team's top SS prospects right now.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dodgers-sign-yordan-alvarez-signing-period-closes/#O7kwbirWEXVkY6TM.97

write up on Yordan with some video.

Ben Badler, Baseball America (6/16/16)

With the 2015-16 signing period over, 10 teams are now in the penalty box for the upcoming 2016-17 signing period, which begins on July 2. The Angels, Blue Jays, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Rays, Red Sox, Royals and Yankees all will be unable to sign any players subject to the international bonus pools for more than $300,000.

Dodgers Sign Yordan Alvarez As Signing Period Closes

[Ranma]

Scott Mowers, MinorLeagueBall.com (6/14/16)

Otani's bread-n-butter is a high 90's fastball that recently topped out at 101 - breaking NPB's all-time speed record on an admittedly questionable gun in the Tokyo Dome.

Otani commands the heater well to all quadrants and holds the velocity deep into games. The pitch explodes with uncommon late life, and I noticed he's especially adept throwing it high to put hitters away, where it appears to have rising or two-seam action in some cases.

The high cheese plays well off Otani's other main weapon, a high 80's splitter that he can both locate for strikes and bury as a worm-killer. His split often features ample arm-side tumble and it's effective to hitters of both sides. Otani plays with the eye level of his 'forkball' so much that it is, in effect, also his changeup. I suspected he might actually throw a change or mysterious shuuto but the close-ups I got (video resources at bottom) all showed fastball-split grips.

Otani also mixes in a low 80's slider that can be inconsistent but flashes plus. The pitch is less like the hard-breaking slider we know in America and more a change-of-pace, slurvy concoction that Otani will use to freeze batters. He's also dabbled with cutters and if he can continue to improve his feel for both, the glove-side movement they offer will serve as the ideal complement to his primary sinking stuff.

Recent reports indicate Otani's curve may have jumped ahead of the slider in both usage and effectiveness. The Japanese ace throws a tight 11-5 snapper that, unfairly, is another potential plus offering in his pocket. Mainly sitting in the mid-to-high 70's, Otani can cruelly dial the deuce down to the high-60's to give it an eephus effect.
...

I'll merely remind that the tape doesn't lie, and his advanced arsenal will be cookin' right away, no seasoning necessary. Otani absolutely should be mentioned with Giolito, Urias, and Alex Reyes in the elite group of young arms in our game. We may have to wait a year or three to see it, but I'd fully expect MLB teams to share the sentiment in what would be a bidding frenzy for baseball's Next Big Thing.

Shohei Otani: The Best Pitching Prospect in Baseball?

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