The summer months are almost upon us! Let's take a look back at what the last week of May had to offer:
- More talk about Roy Oswalt and the long list of teams who'd like to acquire his services. There have been reports that the Rangers have inquired on the Houston ace, and the Yankees are unlikely to make a play. Oswalt would love to pitch for the Cardinals, and with Kyle Lohse injured there's an opening in the rotation, but the Cards aren't in need of another big-name pitcher, but more of a back-end starter. The Nationals are another team that continues to come up; MLBTR's Howard Megdal looked at how the two teams could align for a potential trade. The Dodgers have also inquired on both Oswalt and Cliff Lee.
- Lee could be more appealing than Oswalt, given his contract. This week we heard about Lee's availability and how it affects Oswalt's value.
- Another potential name on the list could be Ben Sheets. Our own Ben (Nicholson-Smith) examined Sheets' trade value this week.
- One name to look for on the buyers' market this summer is the Blue Jays. If Toronto continues its hot start, they could look to upgrade at first base or add pitching.
- The Phillies could be in the market for relief help, as they were said to be scouting Bobby Jenks and J.J. Putz this week.
- We haven't seen much on the trade front yet, but at least one GM expects trade talks to pick up after the draft. Here's a look at some of the biggest June deals over recent years.
- It was a big week for some of the game's top prospects. Buster Posey was finally recalled from Triple-A and didn't disappoint in a stellar debut for the Giants. We also learned that Stephen Strasburg's first start will likely come in the Nationals' early June series against the Pirates.
- Fourteen different players were either released or designated for assignment this week, so check out our Transactions section to make sure you can keep up. A few quick mentions: Alan Embree was released by the White Sox, ditto for Brian Bruney in Washington. As for the DFAs, Randy Winn was designated by the Yankees, and the Tigers DFA'ed Dontrelle Willis.
- On the other side of the coin, the Giants signed Pat Burrell, the Yankees picked up Chad Gaudin, and the Braves signed Cuban outfielder Yasser Gomez, who defected in late 2008.
- Mike continued to profile the potential top picks in this year's amateur draft. Updates this week included Anthony Ranaudo, Jameson Taillon, and Manny Machado. We also got a look at the Top 10 prospects out of the Dominican Republic, as July 2 approaches.
- And lastly, here's a sneak peak at the current Elias Rankings courtesy of Eddie Bajek.