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Odds & Ends: Mets, Orioles, Cliff Lee

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Links for Wednesday, as the Pirates' Brad Lincoln hopes to capture just a small slice of Stephen Strasburg's success in his MLB debut…

Rangers Agree With First-Rounders Deglan, Skole

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WEDNESDAY, 2:49pm: The Rangers agreed to terms with both Deglan and Skole, tweets Wilson.  We learned earlier that Deglan's deal is worth $1MM, while MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo tweets that Skole agreed to a $1.557MM deal.

TUESDAY, 7:58am: ESPN's Richard Durrett confirmed the Rangers' agreement with Deglan last night.  He also noted that the team's #15 pick, high school outfielder Jake Skole, is close to signing.  Skole already told Georgia Tech he won't be attending, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  It's a pair of affordable first-rounders for Texas, though it should be noted that they had to be safe with #15 because they would not get a pick next year if the player doesn't sign.

MONDAY, 9:01pm: Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus hears that the Rangers have agreed to a $1MM deal with catcher Kellin Deglan (Twitter link). The Rangers selected the 18-year-old British Colombia native 22nd overall with their second pick of the first round.

LSU Coach Discusses Zach Lee

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Louisiana State head football coach Les Miles seems to think the Dodgers will not be signing their first-round pick Zach Lee this year.  In a statement on the LSU football website, Miles said:

"Zach wants to come to LSU, get a degree and play football and baseball for the Tigers.  I met with Zach and his parents today and I think that they are looking at LSU as a great opportunity both academically and athletically.  Zach is an outstanding student and he's excited about the college experience."

Lee begins summer classes today, though the Dodgers technically have until the August 16th deadline to sign him.  Dodgers assistant GM Logan White told Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times on Monday that he's cautiously optimistic about signing Lee and the team did not purposely select an unsignable player to save money.  ESPN's Keith Law wrote recently that the "rumor of the day had the kid saying $6 million wouldn't get him signed."

Mike Lamb Clears Waivers

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Third baseman Mike Lamb has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple A, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.  Lamb was the casualty a few days ago when the Marlins called up top prospect Mike Stanton, who had three hits in his debut last night.  Lamb's last extended Triple A stay last year in the Mets' organization produced a .261/.299/.370 line.

Potentially Available Power Bats

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Several contenders could use a boost in the slugging department, especially the Padres and A's.  Let's take a look at potentially available power bats for the trade deadline.

  • Prince Fielder, Brewers.  Fielder has shown less power than the others on this list, with a slugging percentage of just .437.  Still, he gets on base and has slugged over .600 in multiple seasons.  He has $6.7MM left on this year's contract and will get a raise in arbitration after the season.  Fielder obviously won't come cheap, if he's even made available.
  • Lance Berkman, Astros.  He's not showing power yet this year and has $11.2MM left on his contract.  And that's if he backs down from the idea of demanding his option be exercised upon a trade.
  • Paul Konerko, White Sox.  Konerko's .610 SLG ranks fourth in the American League, so in that regard he's the best available power bat.  Obstacles: he's owed $7.6MM and has a full no-trade clause.  With a surprising .583 SLG, Konerko's teammate Alex Rios is another consideration.  Rios is having a fine year, even if U.S. Cellular is giving his bat a boost.  His contract still has over $56MM through 2014, and he can block trades to six teams.  Andruw Jones should be widely available, though he's fared poorly since May 1st.
  • Corey Hart, Brewers.  Hart somehow leads the NL with 15 home runs.  Like Fielder, the Brewers might prefer to keep the arbitration-eligible outfielder around for 2011 if they want to contend.
  • Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks.  Arizona's second baseman is also arbitration-eligible after the season.  He's plenty valuable, but keep in mind he's hitting a more reasonable .254/.361/.429 since May 1st.  Johnson's teammate Adam LaRoche should be attainable, though he's down to .250/.344/.443.
  • Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton, Orioles.  Both players are slugging over .500 and should be available.  Scott is under team control through 2012, but he's already earning $4.05MM.  Wiggy is owed $2.2MM through the rest of this season.
  • Jose Guillen, Royals.  He's hitting just .213/.322/.394 since May 1st.  Guillen is owed the same amount as Konerko, but could probably be had for just a slight amount of salary relief.  More interesting is Guillen's teammate David DeJesus, who's hitting .306/.378/.461 on the season.  He can be controlled through next year, so the Royals should get something useful in return.
  • Austin Kearns, Indians.  Kearns is a cheap rental with less than $500K remaining, and he's hitting .306/.380/.482.  Kearns' teammate Russell Branyan has a .463 SLG, if you prefer 1B/DH power.
  • Ryan Doumit, Pirates.  The Bucs' backstop is at .281/.366/.461 on the season.  He's got about $7.8MM left through 2011.
  • Others with pop: Jim Edmonds, Hunter Pence, Rickie Weeks, Garrett Jones, Ryan Raburn, Carlos Lee, Mike Lowell, Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, Jose Lopez, and Miguel Tejada.  For now we've left the Blue Jays, Nationals, and Cubs off the list, but that could change.

Phillies Agree With First-Round Pick Biddle

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The Phillies' deal with first-round pick Jesse Biddle is done, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Gelb notes that the deal can't be made official until after Biddle graduates high school Friday.  Once signed the local lefty will join the rookie league GCL Phillies. 

The Phillies drafted Biddle 27th overall, with scouting director Marti Wolever comparing him to Clayton Kershaw.  MLB.com's Todd Zolecki notes that the Mariners signed the #27 pick last year for $1.28MM, which is around slot.  Baseball America ranked Biddle 116th overall, while ESPN's Keith Law had him at 90.

How To Use MLBTR

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2005 Draft Throwdown

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While dreams are coming true for hundreds of high school and college players this week, let's compare the paths of some 2005 first round draft picks. Nothing is more interesting than seeing how teams did choosing players at the same position. In a draft, it is the closest teams come to the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. Meanwhile, those lists haunt fans' memories for years to come.

  • Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) vs. Ryan Braun (Brewers): This battle between Zimmerman, picked fourth, and Braun, picked fifth, was to be a test of hot corner prowess. But while Zimmerman has excelled at the position, winning a Gold Glove in 2009 and grading well under more advanced defensive metrics, Braun settled in left field after proving to be a disastrous fielder at third base. So far, Braun has a .931 to .836 edge in OPS, but with Zimmerman putting up an .888 in 2009 and at .986 so far in 2010, that gap may well have disappeared. Moving forward, the edge goes to Zimmerman, a terrific hitter, though a notch below Braun, but a far more valuable defensive player. Both teams won here, though.
  • Cameron Maybin (Tigers) vs. Andrew McCutchen (Pirates): These high school center fielders went back-to-back, with Maybin going tenth and McCutchen going 11th. The early returns suggest that the Tigers made a poor choice here, though they ultimately packaged Maybin in a deal for Miguel Cabrera, so they're not exactly complaining. McCutchen has hit since he arrived in Pittsburgh last season, and a 23-year-old with an .847 OPS in his first 733 major league plate appearances stands an awfully good chance of being an elite player for years to come. Maybin is still immensely talented, and could turn into a star- but McCutchen already is one. Pirates win- how often do you get to read that?
  • Craig Hansen (Red Sox) vs. Joey Devine (Braves): This throwdown is a lesson in the perils of college pitchers. They seem like sure things, compared to high schoolers, and from the start, the Red Sox and Braves thought they had their ninth-innings mapped out for years to come. Hansen, drafted 26th out of St. John's, has yet to find command at the major league level, with 63 walks against 70 strikeouts in 93.2 innings. The right-hander was one of the moving parts in the three-team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles. Hansen's troubles were baffling, until the discovery of a degenerative nerve condition that has his career in doubt. Devine, chosen 27th, got traded to Oakland for Mark Kotsay, so Atlanta didn't benefit much from choosing him, either. The Athletics got a fantastic 2008 out of Devine- a 0.59 ERA in 45.2 innings with 49 strikeouts. Tommy John surgery kept him out for 2009, but he is currently on track to return to Oakland by the end of June. Winner here? Clearly, the Athletics.

List Of 2010 First Rounders To Sign

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Between now and August 16th, most of the players below will reach agreements with their teams. Some, like Drew Storen in 2009, will sign almost immediately and begin their pro careers. Others, like Stephen Strasburg in 2009, will sign seconds before the deadline. Here's where we'll keep track of the bonuses that first rounders, supplemental rounders and other noteworthy picks obtain. From now on, you'll be able to find this post on the right side of the site, under MLBTR Features.

Updated 8-16-10

  1. Nationals – Bryce Harper – Signed for $9.9MM
  2. Pirates – Jameson Taillon - Signed for $6.5MM
  3. Orioles – Manny Machado - Signed for $5.25MM
  4. Royals – Christian Colon - Agreed to sign for $2.75MM
  5. Indians – Drew Pomeranz - Agreed to sign for $2.65MM
  6. Diamondbacks – Barret Loux - Did not sign
  7. Mets – Matt Harvey - Signed for $2.525MM
  8. Astros – Delino DeShields Jr. - Agreed to sign for $2.15MM
  9. Padres – Karsten Whitson - Did not sign
  10. Athletics – Michael Choice - Agreed to sign for $2MM
  11. Blue Jays – Deck McGuire - Signed for $2MM
  12. Reds – Yasmani Grandal - Will sign for about $3MM
  13. White Sox – Chris Sale – Agreed to sign for $1.656MM
  14. Brewers – Dylan Covey – Did not sign
  15. Rangers – Jake Skole - Agreed to sign for $1.557MM 
  16. Cubs – Hayden Simpson - Signed $1.06MM
  17. Rays – Josh Sale - Signed for $1.62MM
  18. Angels – Kaleb Cowart - Signed for $2.3MM 
  19. Astros – Michael Foltynewicz - Signed for $1.305MM
  20. Red Sox – Kolbrin Vitek - Agreed to sign for $1.359MM
  21. Twins – Alex Wimmers - Signed for $1.332MM
  22. Rangers – Kellin Deglan - Agreed to sign for $1MM
  23. Marlins – Christian Yelich - Signed for $1.7MM
  24. Giants – Gary Brown - Agreed to sign for about $1.3MM
  25. Cardinals – Zack Cox - Signed for $3.2MM
  26. Rockies – Kyle Parker - Signed for $1.4MM
  27. Phillies – Jesse Biddle - Agreed to sign for $1.16MM 
  28. Dodgers – Zach Lee - Signed for $5.25MM
  29. Angels – Cam Bedrosian - Signed for $1.116MM
  30. Angels – Chevez Clarke - Signed for $1.089MM
  31. Rays – Justin O'Conner - Signed for $1.025MM
  32. Yankees – Cito Culver - Signed for $954K

    Supplemental Round Selections:

  33. Astros – Michael Kvasnicka - Signed for $936K
  34. Blue Jays – Aaron Sanchez – Signed for $775K
  35. Braves – Matthew Lipka - Signed for $800K
  36. Red Sox – Bryce Brentz - Signed for $889K
  37. Angels – Taylor Lindsey - Agreed to sign for $873K
  38. Blue Jays – Noah Syndergaard - Signed for $600K
  39. Red Sox – Anthony Ranaudo - Signed for $2.55MM
  40. Angels – Ryan Bolden - Signed for $830K
  41. Blue Jays – Asher Wojciechowski – Signed for $815K
  42. Rays – Drew Vettleson - Signed for $845K
  43. Mariners – Taijuan Walker - Agreed to sign for $800K
  44. Tigers – Nick Castellanos - Signed for $3.45MM
  45. Rangers – Luke Jackson - Agreed to sign for $1.545MM
  46. Cardinals – Seth Blair - Signed for $751,500
  47. Rockies – Peter Tago - Signed for $983K
  48. Tigers – Chance Ruffin - Signed for $1.15MM
  49. Rangers – Mike Olt - Signed for $717K
  50. Cardinals – Tyrell Jenkins - Agreed to sign for $1.3MM

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Orioles, Werth, Weathers

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Some links after an astounding debut from Stephen Strasburg…

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