Braves Discussed Ross; Hermida Available Too?
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Braves were in serious discussions to trade for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross before pulling off the Nate McLouth deal yesterday. The Marlins made Ross available, but ultimately decided not to deal him. Some within the Atlanta organization would have preferred to trade for Ross because he wouldn't have commanded as much of a return as McLouth did.
Draft Updates: Jays, Twins, White Sox
Let's take a look at what the Jays, Twins and White Sox are saying about the draft:
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says James Paxton is an "intriguing possibility" for the Jays with their 20th pick, but says his agent, Scott Boras, probably takes the Jays "out of the mix." Drew Storen and Chad Jenkins could be options for Toronto, which has five of the first 104 picks.
- As MLB.com's Kelly Thesier reports, the Twins are expected to draft a young arm with the 22nd pick in the draft.
- The White Sox, who follow the Twins at 23rd overall, have five of the first 102 picks. Last year's first round pick, Gordon Beckham, is about to debut for the Sox. This time around MLB.com's Scott Merkin suggests we shouldn't be surprised if they go for a "leadoff-type athletic outfielder."
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has all three teams taking high schoolers in his latest mock draft. He has outfielder Everett Williams going to the Jays, pitcher Matt Hobgood going to the Twins and outfielder Michael Trout going to the White Sox.
Bryce Harper, 16-Year-Old Phenom
Tom Verducci of SI.com introduces us to a 16-year-old so tantalizing multiple MLB scouting directors say he would be a top-five pick if eligible for this year's draft. Bryce Harper, a high school sophomore, has drawn comparisons to Justin Upton, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.. The entire article's worth reading, but here are some of the reasons Harper's attracting so much attention:
- He hit the longest home run in Tropicana Field history, at 502 feet.
- He's reportedly hit balls as far as 570 feet.
- His throws have been clocked at 96 mph.
- He's fast enough to have scored from second on six wild pitches this year.
Scott Boras is one of Harper's advisers, so look for big demands once he's drafted. That won't likely happen until 2011, but his parents would like Harper to be available in next year's draft. It would be hard not to think highly of your skill if you were labeled the "LeBron James of baseball," and Harper has no shortage of ambition.
- He wants to reach the majors by the time he's 18 or 19.
- Among his goals: "to be in the Hall of Fame" and to "be considered the greatest baseball player of all time."
Odds And Ends: Draft, Atkins, Lima
Some non-McLouth, non-Glavine links to start your Thursday off…
- On draft day, the Orioles, who pick fifth, will have an ordered list of their top five players and will choose the highest ranked player remaining regardless of position according to Jim Hunter of MASN.com.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com would like to see the O's use their pick on a high school arm: either Zack Wheeler or Jacob Turner.
- The D'Backs will have a bigger draft budget than usual, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. They could spend "in the neighborhood of $10MM," since they have seven of the first 64 picks. Not bad, considering the Mets won't have picked once by then.
- The Yankees don't get anything if they can't sign the player they choose 29th overall so, as MLB.com's Brian Hoch reports, signability is a factor.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wonders if Garrett Atkins could be in line for a demotion to Triple A.
- Jose Lima's making a comeback! MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that Lima visited the Dodger Stadium press box last night.
- Jorge Says No! chatted with Garry Templeton, Lima's manager, about the 36-year-old pitcher. Apparently he still throws 90 mph.
- Check out this clip of David Ortiz's visit with Torii Hunter on Hanging with Mr. Hunter.
Reactions To McLouth Deal, Glavine’s Release
The Braves caught our attention yesterday with two major moves. They released Tom Glavine and then traded for Nate McLouth an hour later. Here's an assortment of reactions from around the majors:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to one executive who believes the Pirates sent a mixed message by signing McLouth to an extension and dealing him soon after. One team official says the Pirates never shopped McLouth, which suggests they were impressed by the Braves' offer.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he usually loves deals like this for the team acquiring young talent. In this case, he doesn't believe the Pirates got enough. For the Braves, however, it's a "brilliant" move.
- MLB.com's Adam Rosenberg reports that McLouth will arrive in Atlanta today.
- MLB.com's Jen Langosch sees both sides of the deal for the Pirates: It's possible Neal Huntington could have traded McLouth for more, but the three players he obtained are good ones.
- In spite of all the analysis, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says we won't really know who won this deal for months or even years.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the fan reaciton has been "mostly negative."
- John Smoltz's reaction to the Braves' decision to release his former teammate: "That's not how you treat people." Smoltz disagrees openly with the move in the rest of his discussion with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Glavine can prove the Braves wrong by pitching well for another team.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan believes it took a "healthy dose of emotional detachment" to cut Glavine, one that signaled "a clean break from the Braves' old identity."
White Sox to DFA Betemit, Promote Beckham
According to a tweet by MLB.com's Noah Coslov, the White Sox will designate infielder Wilson Betemit for assignment before Thursday's game and call up top prospect Gordon Beckham. Beckham was the eighth overall pick in the 2008 Draft, and hit .318/.372/.512 in 184 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this year. He has played mostly shortstop this year, but has seen time at third base recently. Betemit hit just .200/.280/.310 in 50 plate appearances this season after being acquired in exchange for Nick Swisher over the winter.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.
Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lohse, LaRussa
Some late night linkage as you wait to see if Randy Johnson picks up win number 300:
- Jeff Zrebiec says that the Orioles may end up releasing Jamie Walker in the coming days.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins will designate reliever Hayden Penn for assignment. It's unclear who will take his place on the roster.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says not to expect to see Tom Glavine in a Nationals uniform, but the team wouldn't mind having him as pitching mentor/coach. Glavine and team president Stan Kasten have a long standing relationship.
- Miguel Tejada wants to finish his career in Houston. With the Astros already seven games back of first and a handful of teams looking for upgrades at shortstop and/or third base, Tejada probably won't get his wish.
- Kyle Lohse left tonight's start in the third inning when his right forearm discomfort returned. Just yesterday there was talk of the Cardinals dealing from their pitching depth to address their infield issues, but depth on the mound has a way of disappearing quickly.
- Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter. Whether Tony likes it or not, Twitter is here to stay.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.
Sammy Sosa Set To Announce Retirement
Yoel Adames of ESPNdeportes.com is reporting that Sammy Sosa will announce his formal retirement from baseball soon. Sosa was still waiting for contract offers as recently as last Christmas. He last played in the Major Leagues in 2007, when he hit .252-.311-.468 in 454 plate appearances for the Texas Rangers. Sosa will retire sixth on the all-time career homerun list with 609.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Nate McLouth
Some early thoughts about the Nate McLouth deal from around the blogosphere…
- Bob Smizik says the Pirates send a message to their fan base with the move: The present be damned. "His trade is bound to have a pronounced negative impact on the clubhouse, much like last season when the team collapsed after the July trades of Xavier Nady and Jason Bay." That seems a little extreme, but the Pirates did just move perhaps their most recognizable player.
- Bucs Dugout is naturally excited by the prospects in the deal, but they're not blown away. They also note that this kind of move makes perfect sense given the Bucs' current situation, and that they should be listening to offers for their other veterans as well.
- Talking Chop declares the move a win for the Braves, but says the biggest story is how fast Frank Wren & Co. have acted to correct the team's flaws. I still can't but wonder if they'll continue to look for an upgrade in rightfield as well.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.
Braves Acquire Nate McLouth
7:19pm: Kovacevic has comments from Pirates' GM Neal Huntington on the deal:
"This may be the toughest decision we have made in my time with the organization. Nate is a quality player and person but, as we have said several times, tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship-caliber organization. Nate has worked as hard as any player to become a starting major league Player, proving wrong anyone who may have doubted him. When we signed Nate to a long-term contract, we did so with the intent on having him remain part of our core of homegrown talent. But the quality and quantity of talent we are receiving in this trade moves us closer to our goal of building that sustainable championship-caliber club and compelled us to move a very good player and an outstanding young man."
Huntington also comments on the three prospects the Pirates acquired, and says none of them will be in Pittsburgh immediately.
6:10pm: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Braves acquired Nate McLouth from the Pirates today. Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves are sending three prospects to the Pirates for him. MLB.com's Mark Bowman names them: starters Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton and center fielder Gorkys Hernandez.
McLouth is signed through 2011 with a 2012 club option on an extension agreed to in February. This is probably not what he had in mind upon signing the deal, but the Pirates couldn't resist. Morton is big league ready, while Locke and Hernandez, also highly regarded, are further off. Andrew McCutchen will join the Bucs to replace McLouth in center field.