Odds And Ends: Peavy, Cards, Strasburg
More links for Tuesday…
- As David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News points out, the Phillies already have $94.5MM committed to next year's roster, so adding Jake Peavy would require good accounting or, perhaps more available money.
- Cardinals fans voted Mark DeRosa as the player they'd most like to acquire to play third in this poll on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's site.
- Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch suggests John Mozeliak "will almost certainly deal from his pitching depth" to obtain some infield help.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Jordan Schafer has been sent to the minors, as the Braves' outfield problems continue.
- The AP (via the Miami Herald) reports that Stephen Strasburg is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded to the top amateur player in America.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail is proud of the progress his team has made in the minors, according to Steve Melewski of MASN.com.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says he expects this to be the year that Roy Oswalt is dealt (via Twitter).
Draft Updates: Braves, Reds, Tigers
The draft's a week away and here's what some teams are thinking as the big day approaches.
- The Braves will take the best available player with their seventh overall pick, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. It's the earliest pick they've had since 1991, but they'll have to wait until 87th for their next turn. Zack Wheeler, a Georgia high school pitcher, could be available when the Braves select.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds would like to add catching depth and left-handed pitching in the draft, which they say could be deepest in rounds 2-6. Cincinnati has the eighth pick of the first round, when high school lefty Tyler Matzek could be available.
- As MLB.com's Jason Beck reports, the Tigers are looking for pitching with the ninth pick. Pitchers Jacob Turner and Shelby Miller have caught the Tigers' attention.
- MLB.com's Thomas Harding points out that no one on the current Rockies roster was drafted in the last three years. This time around, they'll draft 11th.
- The Royals say they'll take the best available player with the 12th pick, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. This is the first time in four years that the Royals don't have a top-three pick.
- MLB.com's Mychael Urban reports that the A's agree with many teams: this year's first round is littered with power arms. The A's don't know what options they'll have with their 13th pick, however.
Taking Stock Of Matt Holliday
At the start of the year, we expected Matt Holliday to establish himself as the top free agent player heading into the offseason. After two months in Oakland, there's no question his value has sunk. Buster Olney says Holliday will be in position to command three-year offers worth just $30-35MM. There's still a lot of baseball left, but let's take a look at some of the reasons his value is so low:
- Holliday's hitting just .275/.368/.440
- His slugging percentage this year is 200 points lower than his career mark at Coors Field.
- He's attempted just five steals after stealing 28 bases last year.
But he still has a lot going for him:
- He has Scott Boras for an agent.
- He's hitting .330/.459/.534 since May 4th, with five homers and all four of his steals.
- If he's dealt to a contender and makes the playoffs he could boost his value by playing well in October.
Ten And Five Rights
If a ten year veteran has played his last five seasons with his current team, he cannot be traded without permission because he has ten and five rights. Chipper Jones, for example, doesn't need a formal no-trade clause as long as he's with the Braves because his ten and five rights assure him that no deal will go through without his approval. Carlos Beltran's also a ten-year veteran, but the Mets could deal him without permission if he didn't have a no-trade clause since he won't have played five years in New York until after the 2009 season.
Rosenthal On A’s, Hart, Byrd
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that now is not the time for the A's to shop their veteran hitters. Here are the details and some other rumors from his column:
- Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi and Orlando Cabrera have low trade value because they're hitting poorly so Rosenthal says it wouldn't make sense to trade the veterans away now. Instead, the A's could hold onto Holliday and obtain compensation picks or deal him if he keeps hitting better.
- Orlando Hudson wanted to join the Mets this offseason, but he understands why Luis Castillo's manning second base for them.
- Rosenthal wonders why AL teams aren't going after Jake Fox as a DH.
- The two clubs that called the Brewers on the weekend to see if Milwaukee really was making Corey Hart available heard that he is not on the block.
- Paul Byrd has yet to hear from anyone.
- Mark Mulder could be ready to return after the All-Star Break.
- Delmon Young "surfaced on the Braves' radar," but just briefly. An unnamed GM said acquiring Young would be a bad move when free agent hitters could be just as productive.
- The Blue Jays are more likely to pursue a left-handed slugger than a number two starter.
Indians Not In Selling Mode
Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner are on the disabled list and the Indians are last in the AL Central, but GM Mark Shapiro told Tom Verducci of SI.com that he isn't selling because he expects a revival from his team. As Verducci points out, only one team in the Wild Card era has made the playoffs after beginning June at least eight games under .500, the 2005 Houston Astros.
Brewers Release Jorge Julio
The Brewers have released pitcher Jorge Julio, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. They made the move to create roster space for Mike Burns, a 30-year-old who has pitched for three major league teams. Burns was starting for Triple A Nashville and he'll provide some much-needed support for an over-used Brewers 'pen.
Julio failed to retire any of the six hitters he faced last night. Poor outings became the norm for him this year; he's allowed nearly two baserunners per innings and has an ERA of 7.79.
Red Sox To Talk Trades, Might Deal
As Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports, Theo Epstein says he'll be involved in trade talks. However, there's no guarantee that he'll make a deal. Epstein predicts that the Red Sox will be "active on trade talks as far as discussions go," but cautions that he "would never want to predict" a trade.
Odds And Ends: Riske, Peavy, Penny
Links for Tuesday…
- This week's chat will take place today at 2pm CST.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that David Riske is undergoing elbow surgery today. Adam McCalvy says it's Tommy John surgery.
- In a separate article, Haudricourt identifies the Brewers' pitching shortage and says the team will rely on minor leaguers for support.
- Jake Peavy won't discuss his trade preferences until after he pitches against the Phillies tonight, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- In the same article, we hear that Mike Koplove has opted out of his contract and is now a free agent.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald guesses there's a 50-50 chance that the Red Sox deal Brad Penny once they're able to after June 15th.
- Adam Jones sees his former team, the Mariners, as just another opponent these days, as Amber Theoharis of MASN.com reports.
- Could Cristian Guzman or Jack Wilson help the Royals out at shortstop? The Kansas City Star suggests both could work.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports imagines how different this season would be with Mark Teixeira on the Red Sox.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times passes on a funny remark from Ken Williams: "National League pitchers don't like pitching in the AL. That doesn't make them fearful. It makes them smart."
- Jorge Says No asks why sellers don't insist that buyers take bad contracts along with top talent at the deadline.
Record Bonus Unlikely For Miguel Angel Sano
Miguel Angel Sano, the 16-year-old Dominican prospect who's drawing interest from several Major League teams, isn't likely to receive a record bonus from the Pirates, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic sees "strong indications from the team's front office" that the Pirates won't surpass the $4.25MM bonus the A's paid Michael Ynoa last year.
Instead, the Pirates believe that Sano's talent and the market for his services place his value closer to the $2-3MM given to elite prospects other than Inoa. The Pirates remains "intensely interested" in Sano, who can sign with whoever he chooses on July 2nd.