The Boston Red Sox and Cuban outfielder/second baseman Rusney Castillo have agreed to terms on a seven-year, $72.5 million deal, according to media reports on Friday. Castillo's deal will start in 2014, where he will make a prorated portion of the $500,000 league-minimium salary. Then, from 2015 to 2020, Castillo will be under contract for six-years, on a deal that is worth $72 million. Cuban sensations have struck high-priced deals with Major League teams in the past, but in terms of total value worth, Castillo reached the largest contract for a international player ever. The 27-year-old's name became known when he held a showcase for teams earlier this month. Scouts from 28 of the 30 Major League teams were on hand to watch Castillo work out in Miami, and many felt that he was an impressive talent. Some even believed that he could appear in the big leagues as soon as this season. Castillo drew the main interest from the Tigers, Giants, Phillies, Yankees, Cubs and Mariners before agreeing to a contract with Boston today. Castillo's best asset is his speed, but the 5-foot-9, 185-pound outfielder has some surprising power. In 2010-2011, while playing professional ball in Cuba, Castillo hit for a .320 average with 22 home runs and 95 runs batted in in 105 games, including a league-leading 32 stolen bases. In 2011-2012, Castillo batted .342 and slugged .574 in 113 games, posting a .408 on-base percentage, along with 27 stolen bases. Castillo also has experience playing internationally. In the 2011 Baseball World Cup in Panama, Castillo, representing Cuba, hit .273 (6-for-22). He was preparing to play for Cuba in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, but did not make the final cut, as he was suspended for attempting to defect. The Red Sox will be adding to a team that looks like serious contenders in 2015. They added Yoenis Cespedes at the trade deadline, along with Allen Craig and Joe Kelly, while also retaining a lot of talent already on their roster. While rookies such as Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts have not had the best of seasons, with experience they should be ready for 2015. The Red Sox could also be boosted by a return of Jon Lester, however, that is beginning to seem unlikely. Many thought that Castillo would join a contending team (I personally thought the Tigers would sign him), considering the fact that he may be able to join a Major League roster within the next couple of weeks or so. But Red Sox' general manager Ben Cherington wants to contend next year and Castillo will be a big part of that.
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The Los Angeles Angels announced that they have acquired second baseman Gordon Beckham from the Chicago White Sox for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Beckham's spot on the 40-man roster will be opened due to the Angels placing starter Garrett Richards on the 60-day disabled list with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. He will miss six to nine months with the injury. Beckham will serve in a bench role with the Angels, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange Country Register. The University of Georgia alum is hitting .221/.263/.336 with seven homers and 36 runs batted in over his 442 plate appearances this season. The 27-year-old and former eighth overall pick has yet to reach his potential, as his career 83 OPS+ suggests that he is 17 percent worse than the league-average hitter. He has a .244/.306/.374 career line, averaging 13 homers and 61 runs batted every 162 games. FanGraphs.com suggests that the middle infielder plays average defense at second base, where he has spent 5,495 2/3 innings of his 6,386 2/3 career innings. He was drafted as a third baseman, however, the White Sox initially groomed him as a shortstop. He can play all three positions for the Angels if need be. Beckham is under control through the next season. He is arbitration eligible for the final time in 2015. This year, in a one-year contract with Chicago that avoided arbitration, Beckham made $4.175 million. Even in a down season, the Angels can expect Beckham to make more money next season as a third year arbitration player, so he could be a non-tendered this offseason, which would give Beckham his release. Beckham was rumored to be dealt this trade deadline season, but July came and went without him being traded. It is unclear if the Angels claimed Beckham off waivers or he passed through, but if they did claim him, it would mean that every other American League team passed on him, since Los Angeles has the best record in the league. He will add to their defense, and depending on the return, may have gotten a really good player to add to their playoff run. Major League Baseball chief operating officer Rob Manfred will become the sport's next commissioner in 2015, Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times first reported Thursday evening. Manfred will be replacing current commissioner Bud Selig, who is retiring effective January 2015. The 55-year-old has been working with Selig for much of his tenure, since 1998 to be exact, and has worked closely with the MLB Player's Association, as he has been at the head of labor and CBA negotiations during the past two decades. He has attributed to much of the recent growth of revenue in baseball. Manfred defeated Tom Werner in the final vote that took place at the owner's meetings today. He is known to be more of a big-market person, as opposed to Werner, and did not receive support from the Blue Jays, Red Sox, White Sox, Nationals, Reds, Diamondbacks, Athletics, and Angels during the first few rounds of voting. He was one vote shy of the 23 votes (75 percent) needed to win. Once Manfred received the 23rd vote he needed to win commissioner, the seven teams followed by all voting in favor of him. It is unknown what team first changed their decision from Werner to Manfred, but we do know that the final vote was a 30-0 unanimous decision, even if the seven still not in favor changed their votes just for a formality of a unanimous decision. Manfred was the frontrunner for the position the entire way and it was only about time before the COO won the position of commissioner. Today, it became finalized, as Robert Manfred becomes the 10th commissioner of the sport of baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired right-hander John Axford off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, the teams announced on Thursday. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the claim. The Indians let Axford go to the Pirates for nothing, as while they could not get a trade done, they decided to let Pittsburgh be on the hook for the rest of his salary this season, which is approximately $1.1 million. After being non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals last season, Axford agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with Cleveland. In 49 games with the Indians, Axford is 2-3 with a 3.92 ERA, 4.71 FIP, and a 1.466 WHIP. He has a troubling 51 to 30 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his 43 2/3 innings pitched. Earlier today, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported that the Pirates outrighted fellow relief pitcher Ernesto Frieri to Triple-A Indianapolis. To fill that void, the Pirates do not have to give up anything besides taking on the $1.1 million that Axford is owed for the rest of the year. And while Axford has shown his struggles this year with command, the Pirates bullpen that has the sixth-highest FIP in the league could use anyone they can find. In 2011, Axford was a primer closer for the Milwaukee Brewers. He led the National League with 46 saves that year, posting a 1.95 ERA and a 2.41 FIP in 73 2/3 innings pitched. His 202 ERA+ was a career high. In the three years since that time, Axford has a 4.25 ERA and a 4.32 FIP in 178 innings, while saving just 45 games. Prior to this year (he has 10 saves this year), he had not saved a game since 2012. The Pirates currently sit tied for second place in the National League Central race. At 64-57, they are 2 1/2 games behind the leading Milwaukee Brewers. They hope Axford can shut down opponents late in games to help lead to more victories. That is something their bullpen has struggled with this year. Follow Devan on Twitter @CoverThoseBases for more updates on the latest news and rumors. Today, the owners of all 30 MLB teams met to vote on the next commissioner of baseball. Only nine people have been given the position of commissioner, but with Bud Selig's retirement prior to next season, the major league owners will need to find the tenth commissioner of the sport. Two candidates, Rob Manfred, MLB's chief operating officer, and Tom Werner, Red Sox part owner, are up for the position. Manfred has been working with major league baseball on a full-time basis since 1998, and since has had the position of chief operating officer since 2013. He has helped keep baseball out of a labor strike for 20 years and has kept the sport profitable, with revenues expected to top $9 billion this season. He has kept the sport fresh and is expected to be the prime candidate for the position. Manfred is a believer in big-market teams like the New York Yankees. As for Werner, he is a supporter of the teams in smaller markets. He impressed the other 29 owners with his presentation when explaining his position. "He knocked it out of the park," one owner for Werner told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "Don’t know if he changed anyone’s mind, but he made some outstanding points on where he sees the game going and what we need to do to be more current and change with the times." The first vote was held earlier this afternoon, and Manfred received the majority of the votes, getting 22 of the 23 votes (75 percent) needed to win the election. A second vote was held, according to reports, that was a yes/no vote in favor of Manfred becoming the commissioner. Again, Manfred was one vote shy of winning. The owners would love to leave today's elections with a verdict. According to the New York Daily News Sports on Twitter, the eight teams backing Werner for commissioner are the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Cincinnati Reds. Stay tuned for more updates here at Cover Those Bases and be sure to follow Devan on Twitter for consistent coverage @CoverThoseBases. |
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