Mariners sign Vladimir Guerrero’s nephew for $400,000

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Yesterday the Mariners signed Felix Hernandez’s older brother to a minor-league contract and now they’ve signed Vladimir Guerrero’s nephew, giving 17-year-old Dominican outfielder Gabriel Guerrero a $400,000 bonus.

Ben Badler of Baseball America has a brief scouting report on Gabriel and it actually sounds quite a bit like Vlad:

Guerrero, a big-bodied right-handed hitter, has shown good raw power and has made improvements at the plate and in the field since he became eligible to sign last year on July 2. He projects as a corner outfielder with a solid arm.

Obviously the odds are against Gabriel Guerrero developing into one of the best right-handed hitters of all time simply because of his bloodlines, but “big bodied right-handed hitter” and “a corner outfielder with a solid arm” are definitely Vlad-like traits and the $400,000 price tag suggests he’s a legitimate prospect.

David Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner and Fan Graphs jokingly suggested on Twitter that perhaps the Mariners have ditched their scouting department and are now simply focusing on finding all their players via genetic testing. In which case, I have two words for them: Ozzie Canseco.

Cardinals sign pitcher Miles Mikolas to 3-year, $55.75M deal

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Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports
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ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.

The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.

Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.

Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.

“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.

Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.