With trade, Seattle clears deck for Otani
The Mariners have gained more flexibility if they want to try to sign Japanese pitcher/outfielder Shohei Otani.
They acquired an additional $500,000 for their international signing bonus pool from the White Sox in a trade for Brazilian right-hander Thyago Vieira.
Otani, a 23-year-old right-hander, would be limited to a minorleague contract with a signing bonus under Major League Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. The trade announced Thursday increases the Mariners’ available money for a signing bonus to $1,557,500. Seattle has spent $3,942,500 on bonuses in the signing year that started July 2 from a pool that rose to $5.5 million with the trade.
Vieira, 24, made his major-league debut with a scoreless inning against Baltimore on Aug. 14, his only bigleague appearance. He was 2-3 with two saves and a 3.72 ERA in 29 games this year for Double-A Arkansas and 0-1 with two saves and a 4.58 ERA in 12 games for Triple-A Tacoma.
Like the Giants and the A’s and several other teams, Chicago is restricted to a maximum $300,000 signing bonus because it exceeded its pool in a previous year under the old labor deal.
Meulens interviews
with Yankees: Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens became the third candidate to interview for the Yankees’ managerial job after Rob Thomson and Eric Wedge.
A former outfielder who spent five of his seven major-league seasons with the Yankees, Meulens, 50, has been a coach with the Giants for the past eight seasons and was shifted last month from hitting coach to bench coach. He managed the Netherlands at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
New York announced last month it was not offering a contract to Joe Girardi, who had the job for a decade.
Free agents reject offers: In largely expected procedural moves, Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Lorenzo Cain were among nine free agents who turned down $17.4 million qualifying offers from their teams.
Cubs pitchers Jake Arrieta and Wade Davis also said no to the offers, as did Tampa Bay pitcher Alex Cobb, Colorado closer Greg Holland, St. Louis pitcher Lance Lynn and Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana.
If they sign with new teams, their old clubs would get an extra draft pick as compensation — possibly a much lower selection than in the past under the rules in baseball’s new labor contract.
A club signing one of the players who didn’t accept would lose a draft selection — no longer a first-round pick — and possibly part of its international bonus pool allocation for 2018-19.