Odds And Ends: Bedard, Teixeira, Benson
Some more links for the afternoon…
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox should have signed Mark Teixeira last offseason when they had the chance, since he's such a skilled hitter.
- Massarotti counts down the five most hopeless franchises in baseball. His top three all select within the first four picks next hour, so there could be hope on the way.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says there's an excellent chance Erik Bedard will be a Type A free agent after this season. This works for the Mariners, as they'll be in a position to demand more for Bedard in a trade or, if they keep him, they can expect better compensation picks.
- Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions. Tim Raines Jr. was picked up by the Royals.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that Kris Benson cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple A to clear roster space for the recently-acquired Jason Grilli.
Problem Positions For Contenders
SI.com's Tom Verducci applauds Braves GM Frank Wren for making a deal early in the summer and suggests early deals for five other teams with obvious needs. Verducci doesn't suggest deals like these will happen, but he offers them up as possible fits:
- The Twins could improve at second base. What about Freddy Sanchez, Clint Barmes or Jamey Carroll?
- The Giants aren't getting much production from Travis Ishikawa at the plate, though the plus/minus system ranks him as the best defensive first baseman in the league. Verducci wonders if the Giants would use Jonathan Sanchez to acquire a player such as Jorge Cantu, Nick Johnson, Miguel Tejada or Garrett Atkins.
- The Mets would look much better with Brad Hawpe, Matt Holliday or even Mark DeRosa roaming the outfield.
- Ryan Spilborghs could help the White Sox in the outfield, as one reader suggested in today's chat.
- The Reds could use help in the outfield and at third base. Mark DeRosa can only play one position at a time, but he could be a useful addition for Cincinnati.
Would these suggestions work? Many of the players Verducci lists aren't on the block yet, but what if they were available?
Pirates To Take Catcher Tony Sanchez
According to ESPN.com's Keith Law, the Pirates have come to an agreement with Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez and will draft him when they select fourth tonight.
Rays To Sign Jorge Julio
The Sports Network reports that the Rays have agreed to terms with pitcher Jorge Julio. They've assigned the righty, who was recently released by the Brewers, to Triple A. The Rays released pitcher Chad Orvella to make room for Julio in Durham.
Rangers Acquire Jason Grilli
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan the Rangers acquired pitcher Jason Grilli from the Rockies. He was designated for assignment on Friday after allowing more than two baserunners per frame over the course of 19.1 innings with the Rockies. Grilli, who did strike out 22 batters, was obtained for cash considerations.
The Rangers have been looking for relievers, and while they're likely not finished, this move gives them depth. Yet another reason to follow MLBTR on Twitter: we reported speculation about this move on Twitter yesterday.
Draft Updates: Deadline, D’Backs, Rangers
Some more links in anticipation of this evening's draft…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says the signing deadline has been pushed back to August 17th because the 15th is a Saturday. The Nats' negotiations with Scott Boras will probably go down to the wire regardless, so it barely matters. If anything it's bad news for the Nats, as they'll have less time to prepare their probable selection, Stephen Strasburg, for a late-season cameo.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D'Backs could choose two hitters with their 16th and 17th picks. They like Bobby Borchering, but he may not be available to them.
- Nolan Ryan expects the Rangers to select a pitcher when they pick 14th, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- MLB.com's Doug Miller rounds up major leaguers' responses to this question: Has any prospect ever received more hype than Strasburg?
- And here's the final projection MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo will make. He has Dustin Ackley going to Seattle, Donavan Tate going to San Diego, Tony Sanchez going to Pittsburgh and Zack Wheeler going to Baltimore.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law has the same five players going in the same order. Interestingly, Law has Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers out of the first round, in large part because they're expected to demand lots of money.
Draft Updates: Bonuses, Green, Sanchez, Epstein
The updates keep flowing in as the countdown to the draft continues…
- Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Tyler Matzek and Shelby Miller are among the players with large- even historic- demands.
- Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Angels scouting director Eddie Bane does not expect the Angels to see any of the players they draft make it to the majors this season.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says "predraft buzz" has the Royals linked to college shortstop Grant Green.
- MLB.com's Jen Langosch is "beginning to believe" the Pirates will select Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez with the fourth pick. Keith Law says they're considering him.
- As Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Sanchez wants to start playing and says he won't demand a large bonus.
- Theo Epstein told Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe that fans on the street will tell him who to draft. It may not be the NBA or NFL draft, but the MLB version is gaining prominence.
- Epstein is proudest of selecting Jonathan Papelbon, back in 2003.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are willing to spend on the draft and aren't afraid of choosing high school pitchers.
- The Rockies, with three of the first 34 picks, "need to hit a home run" if you ask Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies says the team appears to be leaning towards pitcher Matt Hobgood.
Odds And Ends: Padres, Fukumori, Ortiz
Some links for Tuesday morning…
- Today's chat will be at 2pm CST.
- Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports that the Padres know they have to win if they want to stop management from trading players away.
- Adrian Gonzalez says it's too early to tell how long he'll remain a Padre.
- Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker passes on a report saying Kazuo Fukumori will be released by the Rangers. He made four appearances for them last year, but hasn't pitched in the majors this season.
- It's not his eyes, after all. David Ortiz can see just fine according to John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer responds to Eddie's post about the mystery shortstop the Red Sox have interest in, saying it's "probably not" Yunel Escobar.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he believes Neal Huntington made an "understandable" and "wise" decision when he dealt Nate McLouth to the Braves.
- Joe Posnanski does not want to see the Royals trade for Jeff Francouer.
Cardinals Chairman “Open” To Deals
According to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said the Cardinals are "open" to making trades, but won't deal just for the sake of making a change. Since many teams are still trying to contend, some big names are not yet available.
Stephen Strasburg Roundup
Rounding up some thoughts on Stephen Strasburg with about seven hours to go before the Nats are expected to select him…
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says it might be unrealistic to ask Strasburg to pitch in the majors this year if he doesn't sign until the August 15th deadline.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff reminds us that the Nationals don't have to concern themselves about Strasburg's place in history. After six years in the majors they won't have the rights to him so they should worry about the pitcher he will be in Washington, not what he'll become 15 or 20 years from now.
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post says Scott Boras and Nats president Stan Kasten already have a professional relationship.
- Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Strasburg will not discuss the draft at the offices of the Scott Boras corporation, as originally expected. Instead, Strasburg and Boras will speak via conference call tomorrow morning.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that the Mariners missed out on a chance at Strasburg when they swept the A's to end last season. If they'd lost two of three, they'd be picking first today.
- For all the hype surrounding Strasburg, the Nats have two first rounders to select. As Chico Harlan of the Washington Post reports, the tenth pick is pivotal, too.