Tomas to Join the Arizona Diamondbacks

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Yasmany Tomas has 68-million reasons to love the Grand Canyon State…

The 24-year-old Cuban slugger has agreed to a six-year deal worth $68.5 million with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a report by MLB.com.

The report, which cites industry sources, states that the deal is believed to include an opt-out clause after four years.

Tomas would become the latest Cuban star to sign a lucrative contract with a major league team, joining Jose Abreu, Rusney Castillo, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes and Aroldis Chapman.

Tomas, a corner outfielder, has spent a portion of the last seven years playing for the Havana Industriales. He batted .375 (6 for 16) for Cuba with two homers and five RBIs in last year’s World Baseball Classic.

In total dollars among Cuban players, Tomas’ deal would fall just short of the $72.5 million, seven-year contract agreed to in August between Castillo and the Boston Red Sox. The $11.42 million average would be just above Abreu’s $11.33 million average in the $68 million, six-year deal he agreed to with the Chicago White Sox in October 2011. Abreu went on to win AL Rookie of the Year.

Bonifacio Agrees to Minor League Deal with the Chicago Cubs

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It didn’t take long for Emilio Bonifacio to return back to the baseball field…

The 28-year-old Dominican professional baseball player, who has released by the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, has just signed a minor lead deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Bonifacio, an experienced infielder/outfielder, played for the Toronto Blue Jays and Royals last season, appearing in 136 games while batting .243 with three home runs and 31 RBIs.

Bonifacio, a switch-hitter, has a career .262 batting average in seven major league seasons.

Bonifacio, who had 28 stolen bases last season, has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins/Miami Marlins.

Arroyo and the Arizona Diamondbacks Agree to Two-Year Deal

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bronson Arroyo is a free agent no more…

The 36-year-old Cuban American professional baseball pitcher and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed on a two-year, $23.5 million contract with a club option for a third year, team president Derrick Hall confirmed Friday.

Arroyo will make base salaries of $9.5 million in 2014 and 2015. The deal includes an $11 million club option for 2016 and a $4.5 million buyout.

The Baltimore Orioles also made a serious run at Arroyo, who was one of the top remaining pitchers left on the market.

Arroyo is 138-127 with a 4.19 ERA over 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds.

He’s pitched for the Reds since 2006, when they acquired him from the Red Sox in a trade for outfielder Wily Mo Pena, and was 14-12 with a 3.79 ERA and 124 strikeouts last season.

Arroyo’s trademark is durability. He’s surpassed 200 innings in eight of the past nine seasons. The lone exception was 2011, when he battled Valley Fever, mononucleosis and a case of whooping cough that caused him to lose 17 pounds. He still made 32 starts and logged 199 innings, and he has yet to appear on the disabled list in the big leagues.

Arroyo joins Patrick Corbin, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy in Arizona’s projected rotation.

Randall Delgado is also in the mix, and top prospect Archie Bradley is working his way through the team’s system and could be in the big leagues sometime this season.

Cabrera Becomes Venezuela’s New Home Run King

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Cabrera has etched his name in the annals of sports history in his native country…

The 41-year-old former Major League Baseball star has shattered a three-decade-old Venezuelan record for most home runs in a season.

Cabrera hit his 21st home run on Sunday, a grand slam that soared into the left-field bleachers, to surpass the tally set in 1980 by former big league catcher Bo Diaz in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

Cabrera, who turns 42 on December 24, dedicated the feat to his wife. He said she arrived on Sunday in Venezuela from the United States.

“She gave me a kiss before the game and wished me luck,” he said. “I think that’s what calmed me down.”

Cabrera had been struggling lately to add to his homer total for Los Tiburones.

With little more than a week to go in regular-season play in the winter league, Cabrera is on pace to become the first player to win a Triple Crown for leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in.

Cabrera played part of the 2000 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s played in Japan ever since for the Seibu Lions.

Chicago Cubs Trade Garza to the Texas Rangers

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Matt Garza will be winding-up in the Lone Star State…

The Texas Rangers have acquired the 29-year-old Mexican American pitcher from the Chicago Cubs, the team announced Monday night.

In exchange for Garza, the Cubs acquired Triple-A infielder Mike Olt, Class A right-hander C.J. Edwards and right-hander Justin Grimm from the Rangers. The Cubs will also get one or two players to be named later, depending on who they take, as part of the deal.

Garza is expected to work out with the Rangers on Tuesday; while Texas general manager Jon Daniels said Garza is likely to start Wednesday night against the New York Yankees.

“He’s an extremely talented pitcher,” said Daniels. “He’s had success in the toughest divisions and the biggest stages. He was throwing the ball as well as anybody right now. He has a power repertoire, who is something that’s a little different from what we’ve got. And he was available.

“He was in our opinion the best guy on the market, and we wanted to go out and make a push to get him.”

Garza was scheduled to start for the Cubs Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks but was scratched.

Garza is 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA overall this season, including 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his past six starts. He is entering the final year of his contract.

“He was the best pitcher in baseball in his last five, six, seven starts. He’s young, has great velocity, has good command of his pitches and that makes him attractive to any team,” said Cubs manager Dale Sveum. “It’s not easy to part with a guy like Garza and someone has to step in and be productive. We hope the players we get will make us a better team, and in the future, we can be the team who pursues a player like Garza.”

With six pitchers currently on the disabled list, including four starters, Texas has been in the market for a starting pitcher for weeks. The Rangers are in a heated division race with Oakland, trailing the A’s by three games in the AL West entering Monday night.

Nolasco Registers Win in His First Start with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Ricky Nolasco has made a major impression in his first game on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 30-year-old Latino-American baseball right-hander pitched seven strong innings in his debut with the Dodgers to lead his brand new team to a 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Nolasco, acquired by the Dodgers from the Miami Marlins this weekend in exchange for a trio of pitching prospects, allowed four hits, one earned run and struck out five Tuesday night at Chase Field in Phoenix.

He was credited with the win, improving his record this season to 6-8.

The Dodgers’ hitters, meanwhile, gave their new starter plenty of run support, with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez leading the way by driving in three runs to increase his RBI tally for the season to 57.

Nolasco also helped his own cause by singling in the game’s first run in the top of the second inning.

Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig had a hit and two walks, while shortstop Hanley Ramirez went 0-for-4 as his career-best 19-game hitting streak was snapped.

Diamondbacks third baseman Martin Prado singled in second baseman Aaron Hill in the bottom of the 7th inning for Arizona’s only run.

Relievers J.P. Howell and Ronald Belisario pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, for the Dodgers.

The win improved the Dodgers’ record for the season to 44-45, which leaves them just 2.5 games behind the NL West division-leading Diamondbacks with the second half of the season just starting.

Prado Reaches Lucrative Four-Year Deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Martin Prado could be called the $40 Million Dollar Man…

The 29-year-old Venezuelan pro baseball player has agreed to a $40 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks only a week after being acquired in a team trade that sent Justin Upton to the Atlanta Braves.

Prado, who made the All-Star team as the Braves’ second baseman in 2010, has been tapped to play third base for the Diamondbacks.

Prado, who will play for Venezuela in this year’s World Baseball Classic, is a career .295 hitter. Arizona sent two-time All-Star Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson to the Braves for Prado, right-hander Randall Delgado and three minor leaguers.

Prado, who said that the trade initially took him by surprise, has a new outlook.

“Now I see everything more clear, and I’m happy to be aboard with the Arizona Diamondbacks,” he said.

Prado will earn $7 million this season, then $11 million each of the following three years. He could have gone through arbitration and become a free agent after this season, perhaps getting a more lucrative deal.

“Since I got to the big leagues I’ve been looking to be more secure,” he said, “to be in the right spot and not have to worry about going through free agency,” said Prado. “The way I am right now, I’m happy. I’m going to play more relaxed. I think I needed it.”

General manager Kevin Towers said that adding a contact hitter in Prado should help the team be less reliant on the home run.

Prado prides himself on being able to do “the little things” to make a team successful.

“You know that in the National League, more often you can play the game and do the little things right, you can take advantage of the other team,” he said. “That’s my thing, just trying to make that as a routine because in small games, that can make a difference, and one game can make a difference at the end of the year.”

Prado hit .301 last season with 42 doubles, 10 home runs and 70 RBIs in 156 games. He led the National League with 60 multi-hit games and was fourth in hits and fifth in doubles. He played several positions, primarily left field but also third base, second base, first base and shortstop. He has never played an entire season at third base.

Pitchers and catchers report to the Diamondbacks’ Scottsdale spring training facility on February 11, with all players reporting three days later.

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