Pedro Alvarez Rumors

Draft Reactions: Pirates Sign Pedro Alvarez

Friday night was a major victory for the Pirates' new regime, as they signed #2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez to a reasonable $6MM minor league deal. The Pirates spent almost $9.8MM on their 32 draft picks, easily a franchise record. Dejan Kovacevic has the negotiation details. Scott Boras called GM Neal Huntington five minutes before the deadline, and Huntington stood firm at $6MM. Alvarez verbally accepted and the Pirates quickly fired off an email to MLB headquarters. Huntington and Boras had spoken regularly, and the calls were cordial. Kovacevic says Boras was just posturing with the $9.5MM Major League deal...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Sign Pedro Alvarez

11:43pm: Great news for Pirates fans - they've signed Alvarez to a $6MM minor league deal. So much for Boras demanding $10MM. 11:41pm: The Bucs failed to sign pitcher Tanner Scheppers, who slipped to the second round due to a shoulder injury. Scheppers was looking for $2MM, and his audition wasn't great. GM Neal Huntington issued a statement on the Scheppers situation. 4:59pm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette weighs in on the Pedro Alvarez negotiations. He believes the Pirates have an offer on the table, and are open to a Major League deal. However, Kovacevic says there is no...   Continue Reading

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Draft Pick Signing Update: Posey, Matusz, Alonso

10:51am: Baggarly has the latest on Posey. He says it's a "spitting contest" between Scott Boras and Posey's agency to have the highest-paid draft pick. 7:46am: The latest links involved unsigned first-round draft picks. Sam Mellinger explains the decision Eric Hosmer faces. He might have to go against Scott Boras' advice. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle denies Andrew Baggarly's Buster Posey report yesterday, calling it "premature Posey-ing." Schulman talked to the Giants' director of player personnel, who said the deal is not done and the number is not $7.5MM. There is no verbal agreement, either. Schulman also heard...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Unlikely To Offer Major League Deal To Alvarez

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates still have not offered top draft pick Pedro Alvarez a Major League contract. Kovacevic does not expect the Bucs to do so but won't rule it out. It's rumored that Giants' top pick Buster Posey will get a big league deal, while #1 pick Tim Beckham signed a minor league contract. Of course, Posey was a college player while Beckham signed out of high school. Despite that possible issue, Kovacevic speaks of "palpable optimism" for a deal on the Pirates side. Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes about the turnabout for Frank...   Continue Reading

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Draft Roundup: Crow, Matusz, Alvarez

The deadline to sign '08 draft picks is 11pm CST on Friday. Here are the latest rumors. MLB.com's Kevin Czerwinski has a new summary of the unsigned first rounders. The Nationals and Aaron Crow are not close. It's been said Crow wants a Major League deal in the $8-10MM range. The Orioles are reluctant to give a big league deal to Brian Matusz. John Perrotto expects Pedro Alvarez to sign at the last minute. Dejan Kovacevic dismisses the notion that it would be OK for the Pirates to shrug off signing Alvarez and take next year's #3 pick. The August...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Guerrero, Sheffield, Wells, Lincecum

Here are a few tidbits from around the 'Net this morning. Vlad Guerrero wants to spend the rest of his days with the Angels. The question is, will the Halos pony up for a deal for the slugger's latter years? They hold a $15 million club option ($3 million buyout) for next year, Vlad's age-33 season. Will they work out an extension this off-season, or will they let Future Vlad and Future Reagins figure it out after '09? Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe mentions a player who wouldn't mind being traded: Gary Sheffield. The 39-year-old hasn't enjoyed his time...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Delgado, Heilman, Teixeira, Alvarez

Time for today's linkage. Geoff Baker tries to determine who "won" the Jose Vidro trade. Ken Davidoff doesn't expect anyone of value to clear waivers. We didn't have much August trade action last year either. Some decent names were dealt in August of '06 though - David Wells, Shawn Green, Jamie Moyer, Livan Hernandez, Ryan Franklin, Eric Hinske, and Scott Schoeweneis. The Mets can retain Carlos Delgado for '09 at essentially $8MM, since there's a hefty $4MM buyout on his $12MM option. Back in May Delgado's agent said it was a $16MM option. However, MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone told me that...   Continue Reading

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Draft Update: Crow, Alvarez, Matusz

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reminds us of baseball's next deadline: this year's draft picks must be signed by end of day August 15th. Mayo provides links updating progress on unsigned top ten picks Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer, Yonder Alonso, and Aaron Crow. No news on Gordon Beckham. Roch Kubatko says both the Orioles and Brian Matusz remain confident a deal will be done. No hard feelings on either side regarding the delay. Based on this Q&A with Nationals GM Jim Bowden, talks with Crow apparently haven't gotten too far. As for Alvarez, the Pirates have a dollar figure they'd prefer not...   Continue Reading

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Boras Speaks

Super agent Scott Boras called Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently; here are a few highlights. Boras wouldn't address Pedro Alvarez specifically, but talked at length about how his elite draft picks have become successful investments for teams. Boras referenced Mark Teixeira and the Drew brothers, who received deals in the $7-10MM range. Boras client Xavier Nady might want to stay in Pittsburgh beyond the '09 season, but the team has never broached an extension.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Alvarez, Kotsay, Street

Time to round up today's links. Hank Steinbrenner admits Barry Bonds' name will be mentioned at today's meeting of Yankees execs. Mark Cuban is a finalist to buy the Cubs. Pirates president Frank Coonelly expressed frustration with the Pedro Alvarez negotiations, in the first public comments on those talks. Dejan Kovacevic's source says the Pirates aren't requiring two prospects for Xavier Nady or Damaso Marte. One elite prospect would work. Mark Kotsay wonders if he'll be traded this year. As with Mark Teixeira, it'll depend heavily on the next week. Richard Justice takes Drayton McLane to task. DRays Bay relays...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Rumors: Alvarez, Marte

A few notes from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this morning. The Pirates are still engaged in deep, tight-knit negotiations with first round pick Pedro Alvarez. No one's talking, but Kovacevic heard a rumor that the sides are $2MM apart. This might not be settled until the August 15th deadline. Kovacevic talked to a Pirates source who said Boston's interest in Damaso Marte has heightened. Many clubs are after Marte. The lefty has a $6MM club option for '09 with a $250K buyout. That actually might be worth considering. Marte seems likely to sneak into Type A free agent...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Sexson, K-Rod, Halladay

Random links for the day... We'll have our weekly live chat here today at 2pm CST. R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay writes the Rays Comprehensive Trade Post. Brian Cashman confirmed interest in Richie Sexson. Danny Knobler quotes Francisco Rodriguez as saying that the Angels offered him three years, $34MM in November. Josh Hamilton called all his friends to tell them he was a Cub, then had to call them all back. People in Pedro Alvarez's neighorhood expect him to sign. Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay wants to see the team make some progress. Viva El Birdos would like to see...   Continue Reading

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Draft Roundup: Wallace, Alvarez, Scheppers

Here's the latest draft pick signing info. The Cardinals are close to signing their top pick, Brett Wallace. The bonus is expected to be around $1.85-2MM. What position is he going to play long-term? Does left field make the most sense? The Pirates are negotiating with Pedro Alvarez, but both sides are staying mum on the details. The Bucs are also talking with Tanner Scheppers. They're still trying to gauge his health.   Continue Reading

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Draft Day Roundup

The draft is just four hours away. We'll be live-blogging it here at MLBTR. Here are today's draft links. Baseball America's brand new top 30 projections. According to Keith Law, Mariners doctors gave the thumbs up on Tanner Scheppers and the team could take him at #20. Law says the Nationals seem to be debating between Kyle Skipworth and Aaron Crow at #9. Law adds that first baseman Yonder Alonso has an $8MM rumored asking price, which could cause him to drop. Alonso is roughly the 11th-best player in the draft, combining various expert rankings. Speaking of huge demands, Buster...   Continue Reading

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Draft Roundup

Tomorrow is draft day! ESPN's coverage begins at 1pm CST. We'll live-blog it here at MLBTR, just for the fun of it. Here are today's draft-related links. Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein projects the top 30. Plenty of inside info here. Jonathan Mayo has another set of top 30 projections. He's also got a host of rumors; I'll let you click over to read them. Roto Professor chatted with Baseball America's Jim Callis. Dejan Kovacevic dismisses the idea of the Pirates picking Pedro Alvarez as a P.R./fan-pleasing move. If they pick him, it'll be for baseball reasons. The Reds have their...   Continue Reading

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Draft Roundup

Today's draft links. Rany Jazayerli looks at possibilities for the Royals at #3. He hopes they don't take Eric Hosmer. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has new projections for the top 30. He's switched the Orioles from Brian Matusz to Aaron Crow at #4, among other changes. Keith Law has tons of good stuff...the Giants are eyeing Gordon Beckham, the Reds are considering Brett Lawrie, Jason Castro could go to the White Sox, the Dodgers like Zach Collier, and much more. Ken Davidoff is hearing that the Padres are in on Brett Wallace and the Twins like Christian Friedrich. Pedro Alvarez would...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Alvarez, Zimmerman, Vizcaino, Hawkins

Some random musings around the league: As MLBTR noted before, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also believes the Pirates will take Pedro Alvarez if the Rays pass on him. Ryan Zimmerman may be looking for David Wright money (six years, $55MM), but the Nationals may be willing to pay him Ian Kinsler money (5 years, $22MM), according to Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. In this piece by Tony Jackson on the LA Daily News, 39 year-old Jose Vizcaino may try to make a comeback in 2009. He's currently a special assistant with the Dodgers. Troy Renck suggests the...   Continue Reading

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Mayo's Latest: Alvarez, Orioles, Cashner

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has some draft tidbits tonight. The idea has been floated that the Rays could draft Pedro Alvarez with an eye on moving Evan Longoria to second base down the road. Alvarez's position really shouldn't be a concern - Carlos Pena might be gone by the time he's ready. Mayo's heard buzz that the Rays have narrowed it down to Alvarez or Buster Posey, despite what Tim Beckham's dad said. Standard speculation is that the O's are looking at Brian Matusz and Justin Smoak, but Mayo's heard there might be a non-Beckham dark horse. The White Sox have...   Continue Reading

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Kovacevic Chats Draft With Pirates Execs

There's been quite a bit of conjecture that the Pirates will draft Pedro Alvarez with their #2 pick. Alvarez, a Scott Boras advisee, may require a Major League contract. The Bucs' new management team will be making a statement to fans if they pony up for Alvarez. Devan Kovacevic did a Q&A on the draft with Pirates GM Neal Huntington and team president Frank Coonelly. He didn't shy away from tough questions, touching on the Matt Wieters subject. Kovacevic also referenced Alvarez, asking how a player demanding a big league deal would impact the team's draft choice. Said Coonelly: The...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: 2008 Amateur Draft

With last year's top pick, David Price, making his pro debut yesterday, we are now two weeks from the 2008 "Rule 4 Draft" and the top of the draft is not as clear this time around. There are five candidates that could go in the top slot: Buster Posey, the FSU catcher; Vanderbilt's third baseman Pedro Alvarez; San Diego lefty Brian Matusz; Southern California high school catcher Kyle Skipworth, and Georgia high school shortstop Tim Beckham. Earlier this week we heard that the Rays were leaning towards Posey or Alvarez, while the Pirates were said to be torn between Alvarez...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Griffey, Baek, German, Wells

Here's today's link collection. Hal McCoy seems fairly certain that Ken Griffey Jr. will play out the season with the Reds. Dejan Kovacevic has heard that the Pirates are torn between Pedro Alvarez and Tim Beckham at #2. Cha Seung Baek has been DFA'd, and this time he might be claimed. He could have a career as a fifth starter somewhere. John Brattain explains why he feels teams are colluding against Barry Bonds. The Rangers DFA'd reliever Franklyn German; Evan Grant explains why. The Indians claimed reliever Oneli Perez from the White Sox. Baseball America says the six-fingered pitcher has...   Continue Reading

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Rays Leaning Toward Posey Or Alvarez?

Today from Buster Olney's blog: I talked to a couple of folks with rival teams who say that their understanding is that Tampa Bay is leaning toward picking either Florida State catcher Buster Posey or Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez. Olney apparently hasn't heard much about the Rays considering shortstop Tim Beckham, though other insiders such as Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo have him in the mix. Mayo says "it's still very much in the air" among five candidates for the Rays.   Continue Reading

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Pirates Likely To Draft Pedro Alvarez

John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times chronicles the Pirates' recent draft blunders. So many wasted picks. Under different management, the Pirates could have David Wright, B.J. Upton, Carlos Quentin, Tim Lincecum, and Matt Wieters in the organization. Sounds like a fantasy team. Such hindsight cherry-picking is unfair, but the Pirates should have Upton and Wieters right now. Anyway, the depressing trend of bad picks for the Pirates is likely to change this year. For the first time, the Bucs might give out a Major League contract to a draft pick. That pick would be Pedro Alvarez, who Perrotto believes...   Continue Reading

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Law On Hosmer, Alvarez Bonus Demands

ESPN's Keith Law has a new blog post discussing possible bonus demands for a couple of projected first-round picks. Law says high school first baseman Eric Hosmer has a "reported demand" of $7MM. Hosmer is advised by Scott Boras. Law says Hosmer would go in the #5-8 range if not for his price tag. Could he fall to the Nationals, Rangers, or A's if one of those teams is willing to pony up? Corner infielder Pedro Alvarez might be looking for something in $8.6MM range. Some folks think the Rays will pass but the Pirates will make a splash and...   Continue Reading

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Rays Could Take Catcher No. 1 Overall

In a recent blog post, ESPN's Peter Gammons told us not to be surprised if the Rays take Florida State catcher Buster Posey first overall in the June draft. Posey, a former shortstop, has the skills and frame to behind the plate in his career. Baseball America's Jim Callis recently analyzed the Rays' most likely options (print issue 0809). He doesn't see the Rays choosing Boras-represented corner infielder Pedro Alvarez. Pitchers Brian Matusz and Aaron Crow and shortstop Tim Beckham are the top talents after Alvarez. Callis, like Gammons, notes that the Rays could go for Posey if they choose...   Continue Reading

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Boras Demands For Alvarez, Hosmer Leaked?

Kiley McDaniel reports rumors of Scott Boras' asking price for '08 draftees Pedro Alvarez and Eric Hosmer. He's hearing a $9.5MM big league deal for Alvarez and a $7MM bonus for Hosmer - steep demands. Hosmer, a high school first baseman, has been compared to Casey Kotchman by Baseball America. He's a top ten pick. Alvarez, one of the top talents in the draft, plays third base for Vanderbilt but may end up at first. He figures to go within the first four picks (Rays, Pirates, Royals, Orioles) for sure. By the way, the Reds have the seventh pick, and...   Continue Reading

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June Draft Order

Baseball America's Jim Callis has the June '08 draft order, with supplemental and compensation picks accounted for. The Rays have another #1 pick - who's it going to be? Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein expects the Rays to pick corner infielder Pedro Alvarez, shortstop Tim Beckham, or starter Aaron Crow. Here's a scouting perspective on Crow, by the way.   Continue Reading

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