It's the last week of June, which means things are really going to start picking up around here in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to it, how about everyone else? Let's run down the past week:
- One question we've been hearing a lot lately: Where will Mark DeRosa end up? How about parked right behind Albert Pujols in the Cardinals' lineup? St. Louis acquired DeRosa and made a big commitment to 2009 by sending Chris Perez and a player to be named later to Cleveland for the 34-year-old Swiss army knife. Given the Indians bullpen struggles, this move makes sense for both sides. The Cardinals may have given up a piece of their future, but DeRosa's strong production from 2008 has carried into 2009 and he'll vastly improve the club's playoff chances. Anyone see his catch in left for his St. Louis debut? Heck of a way to make an impression on his new fans.
- The Brewers are looking to add some more pieces to the club, and we've heard that they'd like an arm to fill a spot in a struggling rotation. Doug Davis has been mentioned, but even though the Diamondbacks are ready to sell, they're going to have high demands given the lack of sellers on the market. Who else makes sense for the Crew, keeping in mind that they don't want to move any top prospects?
- The Yankees may be in search of a bat, with Xavier Nady needing season-ending Tommy John surgery. We'd heard that Brian Cashman wasn't planning on adding a bat, but he was likely envisioning a healthy Nady in his lineup when he made that comment.
- Jarrod Washburn is having a nice rebound season, and apparently Ned Colletti and the Dodgers have taken notice. The Dodgers have been rumored to have interest in the 35-year-old lefty, but the Mariners may not be ready to sell yet. They're just three games back themselves.
- One pitcher that's almost certainly not available made some headlines this week. Josh Johnson's agent said that the Marlins ace will seek a contract along the lines of what A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia received from the Yankees this season. Can Johnson command a $100MM+ contract when he's a free agent in 2012?
- The Twins designated Luis Ayala for assignment this week, after seeking out manager Ron Gardenhire and requesting a trade three weeks ago. Ayala apparently wanted to be the Twins' 8th inning setup option… but likely had an ERA around the mid-4.00s to upper 5.00s given the reported time of the trade request. Not a good time to complain about your role in the 'pen, Luis. But hey, maybe you can pitch the 8th in Pittsburgh; the Pirates are interested in you.
