[benp28]

International Amateurs

We just completed our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents who we hope can aid our club in the coming years. It was great to meet the players in-person and get to know them better, and I was able to improve my scouting assessment on all invitees.

In fact some of the players impressed me, since they showcased a higher potential than I had previously expected from them:

Humberto Bustillos, 16 year-old SS out of Dominican Republic
Lean and athletic, Humberto Bustillos hails from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He has plus power potential and has shown an advanced approach at the plate. He should be able to provide above average defense as a shortstop. He should have a patient approach at the plate and will take a walk if he doesn't get a pitch he likes. Scouts project Bustillos to fill a key role for a contending team in the big leagues.

Andres Raygoza, 17 year-old 2B out of Dominican Republic
Andres Raygoza is a long, lean athletic second baseman who was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He's skilled at going the other way and possesses a strong hit tool. He has game changing speed. Raygoza is a reliable hitter in the organization's grand scheme.

It was a great practice and none of the invitees disappointed in showcasing their talent.

And other players that I was able to further assess were:
Sergio Rivera, 16 year-old CF out of Venezuela
Juan Parra, 16 year-old 2B out of Dominican Republic
Jorge Medrano, 16 year-old SS out of Dominican Republic
Nelson Montemayor, 16 year-old 2B out of Venezuela
Arturo Navas, 16 year-old CF out of Dominican Republic
Brendon Rigbye, 16 year-old SS out of Australia
Daniel Soto, 16 year-old 2B out of Venezuela
Ismael Villafane, 17 year-old SS out of Dominican Republic

Development Lab Results

Jimmy Goodman has completed his training in the development complex, and as you are aware, he has been working with staff to improve his defense at right field.
• No noticeable changes.

Billy Mumaugh has completed his training in the development complex, and as you are aware, he has been working hard with staff to improve his defense at left field.
• Outfield arm rating improves by <5
• Outfield range rating improves by <5
• Outfield error rating improves by 5

Alex Duke has completed his training in the development complex, and as you are aware, he has been working hard with staff to improve his defense at left field.
• Outfield arm rating improves by <5
• Outfield range rating improves by <5
• Outfield error rating improves by <5

Rule 5 Draft

The crunch of major league capable players at the top of the Royals farm is real now with a busy run up the Rule 5 Draft. Several players with Big League experience were exposed to waivers in order to add some higher upside players.

The biggest departure was Eric Cook, two year relief pitcher who had to make way for younger, higher upside arms. The core trade was simply Cook for Skyler Van der Linden, a RHP with four average pitches and the ability to reach the big leagues if everything goes right for him. In discussions, the Royals and Astros decided to swap 2034 draft pitchers, the Astros giving up their 3rd round B.J. Heaton for the Royals 2nd round Erik Omelanczuk. A groundball pitcher, Heaton more closely aligns with the Royals strategy, with four pitches to combine with above average stuff and control.

On the day of the draft, the Royals chose to add outfield Joe Wallace to the 40-man, putting Ismael Conston onto waivers.

Even then, the Royals lost seven players, the biggest losses being SP Brad Harrington and C Jorge Lona, although neither were likely to have cracked the roster in 2036.

Friday, December 14th , 2035
2B Dan Colligan was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
SS Alejandro Estrada was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
RF Albert Stefanov Thomas was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
RP D'Mani Hamble was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
Placed SP Ethan Chafin on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Placed 3B Juan Moreno on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Placed 3B David Estrada on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Placed SS Marquis Foggie on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Placed RP Jesus Sandoval on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Placed C Ajinkya Corley on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Placed CL Ben Alvarado on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Traded 28-year old RHP Eric Cook and 21-year old minor league RHP Erik Omelanczuk to the Houston Astros, getting 22-year old minor league RHP Skyler Van der Linden, 20-year old minor league LHP B.J. Heaton, and $5,000,000 in cash in return.
Monday, December 24th , 2035
RP Ismael Conston was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
Placed LF Joe Wallace on the secondary (40-man) roster.
Lost C Silas Ardoin in the Rule 5 Draft to the Seattle Mariners.
Lost RF Edward Lantigua in the Rule 5 Draft to the Cleveland Guardians.
Lost C Jorge Lona in the Rule 5 Draft to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lost SP Jesus Mayor in the Rule 5 Draft to the Boston Red Sox.
Lost CF Jacob Jenkins-Cowart in the Rule 5 Draft to the Detroit Tigers.
Lost SP Juan Bautista in the Rule 5 Draft to the Texas Rangers.
Lost SP Brad Harrington in the Rule 5 Draft to the Texas Rangers.

Trades & Free Agents

The cost of the Rule 5 Draft continued three days afterwards as Detroit picked up Ismael Conston.

Thursday, December 27th , 2035
RP Ismael Conston was claimed off waivers by Detroit.

Saturday, December 29th , 2035
Our fans aren't really happy about the loss of Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The overall fan interest decreases slightly.

Sunday, December 30th , 2035
The reactions by the fans to the loss of Connor Phillips are terrible!
The overall fan interest decreases a lot!

Around the League

Transactions

Monday, December 31st , 2035
San Francisco Giants: Signed free agent LF Julio Rodriguez to a 2-year contract worth a total of $16,200,000.
Cincinnati Reds: Signed free agent RF Daylen Lile to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,200,000.
New York Mets: Signed free agent SP Jose Corniell to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,400,000.
Chicago Cubs: Signed free agent SP Chase Burns to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,200,000.
Houston Astros: Signed free agent SP Steve Carlson to a 2-year contract worth a total of $2,840,000.
Texas Rangers: Signed free agent C Jonathan Gerew to a 4-year contract worth a total of $41,800,000.
Chicago Cubs: LF Owen Caissie was designated for assignment and placed on waivers (from active).
Sunday, December 30th , 2035
New York Mets: Signed free agent SP Connor Phillips to a 1-year contract worth a total of $6,400,000.
Texas Rangers: Signed free agent SP Bobby Miller to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,400,000.
San Diego Padres: Signed free agent SP Folger Boaz to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,060,000.
Seattle Mariners: Signed free agent 2B Joendry Vargas to a 3-year contract worth a total of $20,100,000.
Saturday, December 29th , 2035
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed free agent SP Blake Walston to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,520,000.
San Diego Padres: Signed free agent SP DL Hall to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,500,000.
New York Mets: Signed free agent SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,980,000.
Toronto Blue Jays: Signed free agent SP Gavin Williams to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,480,000.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Signed free agent 1B Hunter Owen to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,140,000.
Friday, December 28th , 2035
Boston Red Sox: Signed free agent SP Josh Hartle to a 1-year contract worth a total of $3,120,000.
Thursday, December 27th , 2035
Houston Astros: Signed free agent SP Zion Theophilus to a 2-year contract worth a total of $2,940,000.
Texas Rangers: Signed free agent SP Chris Kenworthy to a 2-year contract worth a total of $2,380,000.
Boston Red Sox: Signed free agent RP Mike Bowe to a 1-year contract worth a total of $12,300,000.
Boston Red Sox: Signed free agent SP Josh Carpenter to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,340,000.
The San Francisco Giants traded 20-year old minor league 3B Sam Freitag to the Cleveland Guardians, getting 33-year old LF Luis Matos (retaining 80%) and $2,280,000 in cash in return.
Wednesday, December 26th , 2035
Los Angeles Dodgers: Signed free agent SP Raimon Gomez to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,480,000.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Signed free agent RF Caleb Danzeisen to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,860,000.
Tuesday, December 25th , 2035
The San Antonio Avalanche traded 25-year old CF Jesus Anaya to the Atlanta Braves, getting 26-year old RF Fidel Vargas in return.
Monday, December 24th , 2035
Pittsburgh Pirates: Signed free agent CF Michael Siani to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,360,000.
The Cleveland Guardians traded 32-year old RF Cam Cannarella (retaining 80%) and $2,060,000 in cash to the Chicago White Sox, getting 20-year old minor league C Jesus Mundo and 24-year old minor league RHP Mike Banner in return.
The Detroit Tigers traded 30-year old SS Rafael Ramirez Jr. to the Philadelphia Phillies, getting 20-year old minor league RHP Steve Carder in return.
Cincinnati Reds: Drafted RP Tommy Estridge in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 1, 1st overall Pick) from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted LF Danny Stellato in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 4, 4th overall Pick) from the Minnesota Twins.
Boston Red Sox: Drafted SP Frank Mena in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 6, 6th overall Pick) from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Drafted LF Jim Jenkins in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 7, 7th overall Pick) from the Seattle Mariners.
Cleveland Guardians: Drafted RF Edward Lantigua in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 10, 10th overall Pick) from the Kansas City Royals.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Drafted SP Mike Moore in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 11, 11th overall Pick) from the Seattle Mariners.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Drafted SP Kevin Moore in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 13, 13th overall Pick) from the San Antonio Avalanche.
Texas Rangers: Drafted RP Juan Corona in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 18, 18th overall Pick) from the Milwaukee Brewers.
St. Louis Cardinals: Drafted C Jorge Lona in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 21, 21st overall Pick) from the Kansas City Royals.
Colorado Rockies: Drafted SS Eric Miller in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 23, 23rd overall Pick) from the Washington Nationals.
New York Mets: Drafted RP Nelson Luna in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 1, Pick 28, 28th overall Pick) from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted SS Ian Bridgeford in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 2, Pick 4, 34th overall Pick) from the Washington Nationals.
Boston Red Sox: Drafted RP Jared Caudillo in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 2, Pick 6, 36th overall Pick) from the Seattle Mariners.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Drafted RP Chris Grandson in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 2, Pick 13, 43rd overall Pick) from the Los Angeles Angels.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted 1B Art Kaufman in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 3, Pick 4, 64th overall Pick) from the Los Angeles Angels.
Boston Red Sox: Drafted RP Jesus Mayor in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 3, Pick 6, 66th overall Pick) from the Kansas City Royals.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Drafted RP Shemar Voltaire in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 3, Pick 7, 67th overall Pick) from the Baltimore Orioles.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Drafted RP Sean Theobald in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 3, Pick 13, 73rd overall Pick) from the Minnesota Twins.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted RP Phil Riley in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 4, Pick 4, 94th overall Pick) from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Boston Red Sox: Drafted RP Jared Rumer in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 4, Pick 6, 96th overall Pick) from the Seattle Mariners.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted RP Jeff Schever in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 5, Pick 4, 124th overall Pick) from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Boston Red Sox: Drafted RP Chase Preudhomme in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 5, Pick 6, 126th overall Pick) from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted CF Jacob Jenkins-Cowart in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 6, Pick 4, 154th overall Pick) from the Kansas City Royals.
Boston Red Sox: Drafted SP Jaquan Flugence in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 6, Pick 6, 156th overall Pick) from the New York Yankees.
Texas Rangers: Drafted RP Juan Bautista in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 6, Pick 18, 168th overall Pick) from the Kansas City Royals.
Detroit Tigers: Drafted RP David Ocampo in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 7, Pick 4, 184th overall Pick) from the Los Angeles Angels.
Texas Rangers: Drafted RP Dane Thames in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 7, Pick 18, 198th overall Pick) from the Baltimore Orioles.
Texas Rangers: Drafted RP Brad Harrington in the 2035 Rule 5 Draft (Round 8, Pick 18, 228th overall Pick) from the Kansas City Royals.
Friday, December 21st , 2035
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed free agent SP Tanner McDougal to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,200,000.
Thursday, December 20th , 2035
Boston Red Sox: Signed free agent RF T.J. White to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,720,000.
Wednesday, December 19th , 2035
Chicago White Sox: Signed free agent SP Jesus Escobedo to a 1-year contract worth a total of $930,000.
Tuesday, December 18th , 2035
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed free agent RP Tyson Neighbors to a 2-year contract worth a total of $2,720,000.
The Cleveland Guardians traded 23-year old minor league LHP Juan Paz, 24-year old minor league 1B Andres Castaneda, and 24-year old minor league RF Mike Ortego to the Texas Rangers, getting 32-year old RHP Chase Petty in return.
The Detroit Tigers traded 29-year old 2B Flint Pallard and $2,780,000 in cash to the Chicago White Sox, getting 23-year old SS David Rojas in return.
The Tampa Bay Rays traded 35-year old RHP Haruya Taniguchi to the St. Louis Cardinals, getting 22-year old minor league CF Eddie Stowe, 17-year old minor league RF Eddy Alfaro, 22-year old minor league 1B Juan Garza, and 24-year old minor league LF Bob Childress in return.
The Detroit Tigers traded 26-year old LHP Jorge Salazar and $700,000 in cash to the Minnesota Twins, getting 18-year old minor league C Edgar Sosaand 22-year old minor league 3B Paxton Romanov in return.
Monday, December 17th , 2035
Atlanta Braves: Signed free agent SP Eric Segura to a 1-year contract worth a total of $6,100,000.
Sunday, December 16th , 2035
Cleveland Guardians: Signed free agent LF J.J. Wetherholt to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,960,000.
Boston Red Sox: Signed free agent C Edgar Quero to a 1-year contract worth a total of $3,280,000.
Saturday, December 15th , 2035
Pittsburgh Pirates: Signed free agent 2B Cole Young to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,000,000.
Atlanta Braves: Signed free agent SP Mason Albright to a 5-year contract worth a total of $74,800,000.
Detroit Tigers: Signed free agent RF Danny Beeman to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,840,000.
Friday, December 14th , 2035
Arizona Diamondbacks: Signed free agent 1B Juan Soto to a 2-year contract worth a total of $45,800,000.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Signed free agent CF Druw Jones to a 6-year contract worth a total of $81,600,000.
The Milwaukee Brewers traded 29-year old RHP Josh Manly to the Texas Rangers, getting 26-year old 1B Adan Hadley and 23-year old minor league LF Gregorio Mauricio in return.
Thursday, December 13th , 2035
Los Angeles Dodgers: Signed free agent C Logan O'Hoppe to a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,840,000.
Wednesday, December 12th , 2035
The Toronto Blue Jays traded 28-year old CF Ismael Garza to the Houston Astros, getting 26-year old LHP Cauy Maring and 20-year old minor league 2B Chris Patton in return.
Monday, December 10th , 2035
The Miami Marlins traded 26-year old LHP Chris Reed to the St. Louis Cardinals, getting 19-year old minor league LHP Sergio Aponte, 23-year old minor league 1B Luis Delgado, 23-year old minor league LF Julio Trevino, 19-year old minor league SS Daniel Morales, 21-year old minor league LF Jim Griffis, and 22-year old minor league RHP Sam Westman in return.
Saturday, December 8th , 2035
The Atlanta Braves traded 25-year old LHP Tommy Rodis to the Philadelphia Phillies, getting 24-year old LF David Flores and 20-year old minor league LHP Alvin Brennan in return.
Friday, December 7th , 2035
Baltimore Orioles: Signed free agent SP Andrew Healy to a 2-year contract worth a total of $3,000,000.
The Tampa Bay Rays traded 27-year old 1B Sergio Perales and 24-year old minor league RHP David Romero to the Colorado Rockies, getting 19-year old minor league RHP Shamar Kallon in return.
Thursday, December 6th , 2035
Chicago Cubs: Signed free agent SP Cole Wilcox to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,160,000.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Signed free agent 2B Grady Emerson to a 8-year contract worth a total of $270,900,000.
The Colorado Rockies traded 17-year old minor league LF Vicente Gallego, 22-year old minor league C Luis Tafoya, and 23-year old RHP Vincent Pulido to the Los Angeles Dodgers, getting 36-year old 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand (retaining 70%) and $800,000 in cash in return.
The Houston Astros traded 20-year old minor league 2B Alan Wolak, 22-year old minor league RHP Juan Morales, and 24-year old LHP Caleb Kuhlman to the Minnesota Twins, getting 27-year old RHP Jeff Sparks (retaining 20%) and $900,000 in cash in return.
Wednesday, December 5th , 2035
Atlanta Braves: Signed free agent RF Max Clark to a 7-year contract worth a total of $177,000,000.
The Washington Nationals traded 19-year old minor league RHP Vincent Benito and 22-year old minor league RHP Rodolfo Molina to the Seattle Mariners, getting 34-year old LHP Mason Fluharty (retaining 80%) and $1,730,000 in cash in return.
The Cleveland Guardians traded 23-year old minor league LF Flint Beaubien and 21-year old minor league RF Alfredo Guitierez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, getting 31-year old RHP Louis Rodriguez in return.
Tuesday, December 4th , 2035
Philadelphia Phillies: Signed free agent 3B Ju-chan Bae to a 5-year contract worth a total of $102,000,000.
The Cincinnati Reds traded 20-year old minor league LHP Jeremy Borden to the Cleveland Guardians, getting 32-year old LHP Garrett Horn in return.
The New York Mets traded 21-year old minor league LHP Joe Goodall and 24-year old minor league LHP Luis Caballero to the Seattle Mariners, getting 30-year old LF Josue De Paula in return.
Monday, December 3rd , 2035
The Los Angeles Angels traded 35-year old RHP Hayden Juenger (retaining 80%) and $4,880,000 in cash to the New York Yankees, getting 20-year old minor league LHP Sergio Morales in return.
The Toronto Blue Jays traded 24-year old 2B Juan Espinosa, 24-year old minor league C Hank Schultz, and 23-year old minor league SS Jhonnatan Murphy to the Detroit Tigers, getting 35-year old LF Riley Greene (retaining 50%) and $1,420,000 in cash in return.
Sunday, December 2nd , 2035
Chicago Cubs: Signed CF Pete Crow-Armstrong to a 5-year contract extension worth a total of $116,000,000.
Washington Nationals: Signed free agent RF Shamel Drummer to a 2-year contract worth a total of $1,890,000.

Injuries

Monday, December 31st , 2035
Milwaukee Brewers: SP David Rojas diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 14 months.
Friday, December 14th , 2035
Seattle Mariners: SP Nelson Crespo diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, will miss 12 months.
Tuesday, December 4th , 2035
San Antonio Avalanche: SP Luis Salas diagnosed with a fractured elbow, will miss 6-7 months.
Saturday, December 1st , 2035
San Diego Padres: RF Eric Young was injured while playing basketball. The Diagnosis: torn posterior cruciate ligament (knee). He's expected to miss about 10 months.