Righthander Jose Rafael DePaula has passed his physical and is now officially a Yankee, according to Yankees vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman.

DePaula, who is currently in Tampa and turned 21 on Saturday, recently had his visa approved, the final major hurdle for his contract to be approved after an elongated waiting period. DePaula signed his contract with the Yankees for a $500,000 bonus in Nov. 2010, with the deal contingent upon his acquisition of a visa and the approval of Major League Baseball. In DePaula's case, the process took so long because, among other reasons, he had previously used a different age and identity to sign, which resulted in a one-year suspension from MLB in 2009.

Now that deal is official and, finally, his career can begin.

For many players, the mid- to late portion of spring training brings assignments to minor league camp in preparation for the season. For others, it brings to an end their time with the organization that in many cases originally signed them. The tally of released players hits 227 this time around, and most of them will seek other opportunities in professional baseball.

For updates on the status of Article XX(B) free agents on minor league contracts, such as Trever Miller and Ramon Ortiz from this installment of transactions, be sure to check out this blog post. The deadline looms on March 30 for teams to make decisions on nearly three dozen veterans.

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Released: RHP Brian Budrow, RHP Keith Cantwell, RHP Berling Cruz, RHP Randy Hamrick, RHP Trevor Harden, RHP Victor Lara, RHP Mike MacDonald, C Elvin Delgado, 3B Patrick Donahue, 3B Derek Luciano, SS Stephen Cardullo, OF Jeremia Gomez, OF Justin Hilt, OF Roberto Ortiz, OF Domingo Soriano
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Sam Demel, RHP Barry Enright, OF David Winfree
Optioned to Double-A: RHP Trevor Bauer

Trevor Bauer worked 10 innings in big league camp, where he struck out nine and allowed 11 hits and only one walk. If he keeps that up he may not be long with Double-A Mobile.

Atlanta Braves
Released: RHP Danilo Alvarez, RHP Jeremy Haynes, RHP Tyler Hess, RHP Lucas LaPoint, RHP Daniel Lopez, RHP Kyle Mertins, RHP Angelo Paulino, RHP Aaron Shafer, RHP Dan Winnie, LHP Chris Cody, LHP Lenny Hardy, OF Jake Rife, OF Brian Stamps
Acquired: SS Greg Paiml from White Sox for cash considerations [...] Continue Reading »

Shortstop Jose Torres, who finished last season with high Class A Jupiter in the Marlins system, drew a 50-game suspension for testing positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a performance-enhancing substance. A Major League Baseball press release issued today refers to Torres as a free agent, implying that the Marlins released the 21-year-old this spring.

Torres signed with Florida on July 2, 2007, and batted .242/.296/.278 in 889 career at-bats for four Marlins affiliates.

Yoenis Cespedes left Cuba shortly after he tied for the single-season home run record in Cuba's top league. Now he shares that title with one more person, and he may be on the verge of relinquishing the crown entirely to his former Cuban teammate.

Granma left fielder Alfredo Despaigne hit two home runs today, giving him 33 on the season and tying the record for the most home runs ever in a Serie Nacional season, set last year by Cespedes and Cienfuegos first baseman Jose Abreu.

Despaigne, 25, has nine more games left in the regular season to reclaim the single-season home run mark for himself, which he did in 2008-09 when he hit 32 home runs and won his first of two consecutive MVP awards. Despaigne entered today hitting .345/.496/.732 in 79 games, ranked second in OBP and slugging. Despaigne could challenge for his third MVP, though Abreu, the 25-year-old reigning MVP, entered the day hitting .391/.538/.782 with 26 homers in 75 games. A righthanded hitter, Despaigne is only 5-foot-9 but he is thickly built and has been a standout player in Cuba since his junior national team days, playing for the Cubans at the 2008 Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic, among other tournaments.

Still entering the prime of his career, Despaigne has already established a track record as one of Cuba's most accomplished hitters. Pretty soon he could have the home run record all to himself.

Here's the audio and video of today's record-tying home run call from Cuba:

[...] Continue Reading »

Minor league teams begin play in little more than a week, but today Major League Baseball announced that two players will not be in their teams' Opening Day lineups. Both players received 50-game suspensions for violating the game's minor league drug prevention and treatment program.

Cardinals 23-year-old minor league catcher Cody Stanley tested positive for Methylhexaneamine and Tamoxifen and will miss at least the season's first two months. A fourth-round pick from UNC Wilmington in 2010, he caught 80 games for low Class A Quad Cities last season, honing his receiving chops by working with Cardinals power-pitching prospects Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal.

Stanley batted .264/.317/.425 with 11 homers in 379 at-bats for Quad Cities last season, often slotting in behind dynamic outfield prospect Oscar Taveras in the lineup. In fact, Stanley and Taveras have powered the offensive attacks for the 2010 Johnson City Cardinals (Appalachian League) and 2011 Quad Cities River Bandits (Midwest), a pair of Cardinals minor league champions.

Twins lefthander Aaron Thompson failed a second test for a so-called drug of abuse and will sit out 50 games. He signed with Minnesota in December as a minor league free agent after spending last season in the Pirates organization. The Twins had ticketed him to Triple-A Rochester after the 25-year-old spent the bulk of the past four seasons in Double-A.

Thompson throws five pitches from a compact, efficient delivery, but his Double-A results, including a 5.03 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 1.8 K-BB ratio in 449 innings, have been less than stellar. The Marlins drafted him 22nd overall in 2005 and then traded him to the Nationals straight-up for Nick Johnson at the ’09 trade deadline. The Pirates claimed him on waivers following the 2010 season.

Rays righthander Matt Bush, the No. 1 pick of the 2004 draft, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and fleeing the scene after an accident on Thursday night.

According to reports, Bush was involved in an accident with a 72-year-old motorcyclist. He was charged with multiple offenses including hit and run, leaving the scene with damage to property, leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury, DUI with serious bodily injury and driving with a suspended license.

Bush is considered one of the worst busts among No. 1 picks, as he never made it past Class A as a shortstop with the Padres. He was arrested for a fight at a nightclub before he ever stepped onto the field as a professional. Eventually, Bush converted to pitching as the Padres tried to recoup some of their $3.15 million investment. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2008 and soon after the Padres sold his contract to the Blue Jays. He missed all of 2008 and 2009 and was released by the Blue Jays without making an appearance after violating unspecified team rules. The Rays signed him after that and tried to get him counseling to help with his off-field troubles.

When healthy, Bush featured a fastball that would sit between 94-97 mph as well as a tight curveball. He seemed to show some improvement with Tampa Bay, enough that the Rays added him to their 40-man roster before the 2011 season. He struck out 13.8 batters per nine innings pitching for Double-A Montgomery in 2011. Bush was expected to head to Triple-A Durham this year and was in line to contend for a big league bullpen spot at some point this year.

The Rays released a statement saying: “The Tampa Bay Rays organization is deeply saddened by today's tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and his family. We will reserve further comment until we learn more about the incident that took place.’’

With an international draft potentially on the horizon, Major League Baseball is trying to get more involved in the process of organizing and showcasing amateur talent in Latin America. Today the league announced that it is starting an unnamed league for unsigned players in the Dominican Republic.

Practically speaking, it's difficult to see how MLB will be able to compete with more established leagues that have the support of trainers like the Dominican Prospect League, Dominican International League, International Prospect League and other smaller, locally-run leagues organized by trainers in their areas across the island. MLB has run showcases in the past, though until its event last month at the Mets Dominican academy featuring games between Dominican and Venezuelan prospects, scouts have said the league has had trouble attracting quality talent. Perhaps that will change, but right now they're trying to catch up to the agents and trainers in the Dominican Republic who had the foresight to set up their own leagues over the last couple of years.

Here's the press release from MLB:

Major League Baseball will launch a new league that will provide a neutral forum for Major League organizations and scouts to observe the top unsigned amateur players in the Dominican Republic, it was announced today.

In addition to featuring players that will become eligible to sign after July 2nd, the new league will also broaden its focus to include players who are already eligible to sign professional contracts.

Beginning today, the league will host games every Thursday, alternating weekly between current eligible players and unsigned players. All of the games will be played at various MLB Club academies located in the Dominican Republic.

The new league will also include an educational component for the participating players. In addition, the league’s coaching staff will conduct periodic instructional clinics throughout the country for younger players as part of the league’s outreach element. The entire initiative is part of MLB’s continued commitment to the development of baseball in the Dominican Republic and Latin America.

“Major League Baseball is excited to begin its new prospect league in the Dominican Republic,” said Kim Ng, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball. “We believe that this new league will provide amateur players with an opportunity to showcase their talent, and we hope that by including educational and community-outreach components in their participation, we will also prepare these players for opportunities that go beyond the playing field.”

The launch of the prospect league is the newest opportunity for MLB scouts to view top talent, following the Venezuela-Dominican Republic Showcase held in the Dominican Republic in early February.

A premium prospect who has been involved in one of the longest, most fascinating sagas in the Dominican Republic has taken a major step toward beginning his professional career.

Righthander Jose Rafael DePaula, who agreed to sign for a $500,000 bonus with the Yankees in November 2010, has had his visa approved by the U.S. Consulate, according to Charisse Espinosa-Dash, who is one of DePaula's representatives. DePaula is expected to travel to the United States next week for his physical, one of the final contingencies of his contract being approved and his bonus being paid. The physical is not expected to be an issue, as DePaula has been working out regularly under the Yankees watch dating back more than a year. A Yankees official could not be immediately reached for comment. MLB Trade Rumors reported the news this afternoon.

DePaula had originally presented himself as Rafael DePaula Figueroa, born April 1, 1992. By that date of birth, DePaula would have been eligible to sign on July 2, 2008. Scouts said DePaula back in the summer of 2008 was throwing in the mid- to high-80s with his fastball, but as 2009 rolled around he became one of the hotter items on the international market with a fastball that was registering in the low-90s and touching 94-95 mph. DePaula received attention from several teams, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Mariners and Athletics, but in May 2009 Major League Baseball told Baseball America that it had suspended DePaula for one year over issues with his documentation, even though he had not yet signed a contract at the time.

[...] Continue Reading »

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Jonathan Albaladejo, RHP Joe Martinez, C Konrad Schmidt, OF Cole Gillespie
Removed from 40-man: LHP Zach Kroenke (outrighted to Triple-A)

Atlanta Braves
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Jaye Chapman, RHP Erik Cordier, RHP J.J. Hoover, RHP Todd Redmond, LHP Luis Avilan

Baltimore Orioles
Signed: 2B Josh Barfield
Optioned to Triple-A: 1B Joe Mahoney
Optioned to Double-A: RHP Oliver Drake [...] Continue Reading »

The Red Sox have agreed to a deal with Dominican righthander Simon Mercedes, which according to an international source is for an $800,000 bonus.

However, that deal is still pending several hurdles, including Mercedes passing Major League Baseball's investigation into his age and identity and his acquisition of a visa. Those will be important steps to watch given Mercedes' history, the details of which are still somewhat hazy.

At some point within the last couple of years, Mercedes went from presenting himself as a 16-year-old named Jeffrey Tapia to an 18-year-old named Simon Mercedes. It's not clear whether Mercedes ever faced any penalty from MLB for changing his age and his identity at the time, though it appears he did not. Mercedes pitched in the Dominican Prospect League all-star game on Jan. 29, 2011, when he pitched two innings, allowed one run, walked one and struck out three. Shortly after the DPL all-star game, Mercedes agreed to a $400,000 deal with the Giants.

However, that deal fell apart after an MLB investigation into Mercedes' background. In March 2011, MLB declared Mercedes ineligible to sign for one year, though the league has not publicly stated the reason for the sanction against Mercedes. The one-year ban on signing ended on Wednesday, and Mercedes quickly agreed to terms with the Red Sox, doubling his previous signing bonus.

While the deal is still contingent upon official approval, Mercedes was one of the top players eligible to sign before the new Collective Bargaining Agreement rules on international spending kick in on July 2. Mercedes, who by his current listed date of birth (Feb. 17, 1992) is 20 years old, is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds with a power arm, giant hands and a 92-96 mph fastball. Scouts who have seen Mercedes recently said he also has an average to above-average breaking ball, which he used last year to strike out Royals $3 million outfielder Elier Hernandez in the DPL all-star game. Mercedes will have to smooth out some things in his delivery, but he has starter potential with the bullpen as a fallback option. Mercedes was training with Felix Liriano and Edwin Sabater.

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Signed: RHP Chris Pack (Joliet (Frontier)), RHP Bo Schultz (Grand Prairie (American Association)), OF Jason Patton (River City (Frontier)), OF Miles Walding (NDFA—Huntingdon (Ala.))
Optioned to Double-A: RHP Yonata Ortega

After signing indy leaguers Ryan Quigley and Chris Valencia a couple weeks ago, the Diamondbacks continued their independent shopping spree, signing three more players who finished ’11 out of affiliated ball.

Chris Pack played college ball at Villanova [Correction: He spent his senior season at Illinois. ME] and latched on in the Frontier League last July after going undrafted. He ran up a 4.61 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 22-17 K-BB ratio in 22 relief appearances for Joliet. Pack sits 90-93 mph and reportedly drew some interest from the Marlins last year before injury concerns scared them off.

The Athletics released Bo Schultz last April, and he has three years of affiliated experience.

Baltimore Orioles
Optioned to Triple-A: 2B Ryan Adams, 3B Josh Bell
Optioned to low Class A: RHP Dylan Bundy [...] Continue Reading »

While baseball's new Collective Bargaining Agreement overhauled the way teams will go about acquiring amateur talent, the new accord also affected signing terms for nearly three dozen professional players this offseason.

Any player with sufficient major league tenure and free agent status who signed a minor league deal this offseason gains two new perks if his signing organization assigns him to the minors at the outset of the 2012 season. To wit, all qualifying players receive a six-figure bonus and a guaranteed midseason opt-out date. From the summary of the new CBA, which the owners and players signed in December:

Article XX(B) free agents signing minor league contracts who are not added to the Opening Day roster or unconditionally released 5 days prior to Opening Day shall receive an additional $100,000 retention bonus and the right to opt out on June 1.

An Article XX(B) free agent is simply one with six or more years of major league service whose big league contract expired at the conclusion of last season. The MLB Players Association published the full list of 2011 Article XX(B) free agents last November, and player examples range from superstars like Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder to complementary players like Willie Harris and Chad Durbin. In the past, Article XX(B) free agents had to negotiate their own opt-out dates for their unconditional release from minor league contracts, but such a clause now becomes mandatory.  [...] Continue Reading »

A Major League Baseball press release identified two violators of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program. Both pitchers now face 50-game suspensions.

Blue Jays minor league lefthander Mitchell Taylor failed a second test for a drug of abuse. The 2010 seventh-round pick went 4-2, 4.23 in 13 appearances for Rookie-level Bluefield last year, helping to lead the club to the Appalachian League finals. The 19-year-old ranked fifth in the league in WHIP (1.16) and fourth in opponent average (.242) while striking out 61 in 55 1/3 innings. Taylor signed for $367,500 out of Spring (Texas) High.

Free agent righthander Matt Rusch also failed a second test for a drug of abuse, so his 50-game suspension begins if and when he signs with another major league organization. The Red Sox signed the 28-year-old Rusch out of the independent Can-Am League last Aug. 15, and he made just four starts for Double-A Portland before attaining free agency in November. He finished with a 5.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 21 1/3 innings. Rusch also pitched in the Tigers system from 2005 to ’09.

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Signed: 1B Randy Ruiz (Rakuten (Japan))

Randy Ruiz won the Pacific Coast League's MVP award in ’09, when he batted .320/.392/.584 with 25 home runs for Las Vegas. He latched on with Rakuten of Japan's Pacific League in ’10 and put up a .784 OPS with 12 homers in 81 games, though he fell on harder times in ’11, batting .195 with 44 strikeouts in 128 at-bats. The 34-year-old Ruiz is one of baseball's most traveled players, having played for eight organizations, domestic and international, in the last six years.

Atlanta Braves
Released: RHP Reidy Escobar

Baltimore Orioles
Signed: RHP Josh Banks (Long Island (Atlantic)), RHP Miguel Gonzalez
Released: RHP Josh Dowdy

Miguel Angel Gonzalez spent much of last season with Boston's Double-A Portland affiliate, striking out 45 and walking 19 in 46 2/3 innings. The Red Sox released him in December. [...] Continue Reading »

According to Matt Gelb of the Philly Inquirer, Phillies second base prospect Harold Garcia had microfracture surgery on his right knee and will miss 4-6 months. Garcia missed most of 2011 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee.

Garcia had a breakout 2010 campaign, hitting .335/.397/.492 in high Class A Clearwater and .281/.340/.403 in Double-A Reading. He broke a 59-year-old Florida State League record by hitting in 37 consecutive games that year.

Dominican lefthander Erick Hurtado agreed to a deal with the Cardinals last month, but now that deal is off after he tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid commonly sold as Winstrol and frequently used by amateur players in Latin America.

Hurtado, a 17-year-old from Santo Domingo, received a 50-game suspension from MLB, which will begin if and when he signs a contract, since he's now a free agent, according to a press release from MLB. Hurtado, who is 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, was throwing around 86-88 mph last year around July 2, but his velocity was up to the 88-91 mph range before he signed. Trainers in the Dominican Republic are often known by only one name or a nickname, and sources could only identify Hurtado's trainer as a man named Lucas.

Spring training is the time of year when players can speed up their timetables. It's also the time when timetables can be significantly slowed by injuries. In the case of Rangers' righthander Matt West and Dodgers outfielder Alfredo Silverio, the news isn't good.

West, ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the Rangers organization, has been shut down for six weeks as he tries to rehabilitate and strengthen a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. As reported by BA correspondent Jeff Wilson, the Rangers are hopeful that rehab will allow West to avoid Tommy John surgery. If the rehab goes well, West would not be ready to start the season, but would be available to pitch again this year. If the program doesn't work, West will likely undergo Tommy John surgery that would sideline him for the entirety of the 2012 season and potentially part of 2013 as well. [...] Continue Reading »

Until he reached the big leagues, Julio Teheran had never been particularly home run prone. But Sunday, Teheran provided a suitable audition to pitch for the All-Star Game's Home Run Derby.

Facing the Tigers in his first outing of spring training, Teheran gave up seven runs on six home runs in just two innings of work. Teheran is in a battle with Mike Minor and Randall Delgado for the final two spots in the Braves rotation, but obviously his first outing is not helping his case.

Delgado wasn't a whole lot more impressive. He walked two, allowed two hits including a home run and gave up four runs in his one inning of work.

Neither pitchers' command was particularly sharp, which left them forced to throw fastballs in hitters counts on a day where the wind was blowing out.

“I don’t want to take anything away from their hitters,” catcher Ross told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They put some good swings on balls. But they were in a lot of hitters’ counts. We went 3-1, would make a good pitch to make it 3-2 and they knew the same pitch was coming. I can’t call a dirty 3-2 slider the first inning in spring training. You’ve got to learn to command your fastball and make your pitch. That’s what these kids are trying to do.”

Teheran had given up only 20 home runs in 383 minor league innings as a pro. He did give up four home runs in just 20 innings last year in the big leagues.

The Rangers have generated a strong negative reaction in the international baseball community over a report that they have agreed to a deal with Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras for $4.5 million. And while the Rangers may expect the deal to go through, others think it will ultimately crumble.

Beras had been presenting himself to clubs and to Major League Baseball as a 16-year-old as recently as last month. His Dec. 25, 1995, date of birth would have made him eligible to sign when the 2012 international signing period opens on July 2. Instead, Beras is apparently claiming to be older, according to reports, which would make him free to sign right now.

Beras' deal with the Rangers was first reported in the Dominican Republic but hasn't been confirmed by the team or MLB. The Rangers have failed to add any clarity to the situation, declining to comment. Rafael Perez, MLB's director of Dominican operations, told MLB.com that Beras "presented to us officially" that he was 16, and that now the league's department of investigations is looking into the case.

If Beras is now using a new birthdate, MLB rules and precedent would seem to indicate that MLB will not approve the contract and will not allow him to sign for six months to a year, a typical penalty for any player who misrepresents his age or his identity. Several international sources say they believe that is what will happen and that the deal will end up falling apart. If the league upholds the contract, sources with several teams have said they will be furious.

“They can suspend him for providing false documentation and representing himself as a July 2 player this year, and in doing so providing false documentation for all of MLB’s activities in the Dominican,” said one international scouting director. [...] Continue Reading »

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Signed: RHP Ryan Quigley (Joliet (Frontier)), OF Chris Valencia (Brockton (Can-Am))
Released: RHP Kevin Mulvey, RHP Andrew Wolcott

Not to be confused with the lefthanded Ryan Quigley who pitched in the Athletics organization from ’09 to ’11, this Ryan Quigley set the Frontier League's saves record last season with 28 while also striking out 72 batters in 42 2/3 innings. He went undrafted out of Chicago's St. Xavier University in ’07 and logged five years in the Frontier League before getting noticed by the Diamondbacks. Quigley has an average fastball and breaking ball, and he could provide solid organization depth.

Arizona made a second foray into independent ball with the signing of speedy center fielder Chris Valencia from the Can-Am League. The 24-year-old batted .342/.379/.500 in 386 at-bats for Brockton last season, collecting five homers, 38 doubles-plus-triples and 41 steals. Scouts assess his speed, range and arm as average-to-slightly-above tools. Valencia played college ball at NAIA Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College, signing on with Brockton in April ’09.

Atlanta Braves
Released: LHP Amilcar Gaxiola [...] Continue Reading »