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Pirates Designate Jack Taschner For Assignment

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The Pirates designated Jack Taschner for assignment, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 32-year-old left-hander posted a 6.05 ERA in 17 appearances in the majors this year.  The Pirates, who struck out 14 times against Stephen Strasburg tonight, also optioned Jeff Clement to the minors.

Taschner's strikeout (7.9 K/9) and walk (3.7 BB/9) numbers are better than they have been in recent years, but he is allowing lots of hits, as usual. Though he has struggled mightily against right-handed batters in his career, Taschner's rate stats have historically been better against lefties (8.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9).

Draft Notes: Phillies, Brentz, Rays, Harper, Whitson

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The reactions and updates keep trickling in, as last year's first overall pick prepares to make his much-anticipated major league debut…

  • The Cubs selected Bryan Harper, Bryce's older brother, in the 26th round, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
  • Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever tells Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the team is "very close" to signing first rounder Jesse Biddle (Twitter link).
  • Red Sox supplementary rounder Byrce Brentz will sign for slot money, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. That should be an $891K bonus for Brentz, who was close to a deal just hours after the draft.
  • Rays second round pick Jacob Thompson tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's ready to sign. The right-hander says he doesn't want to play "hardball" with the Rays (figuratively speaking, that is).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he hopes to sign Bryce Harper and get his pro career started before the mid-August deadline for signing picks (Twitter link).
  • The Nationals plan to have Harper play outfield, not catcher, according to Ben Goessling of MASN.com.
  • Harper told the media that he intends on working out, having fun and fishing this summer, according to Goessling. In other words, don't expect the phenom to sign right away.
  • The Giants took Brett Bochy (manager Bruce's son) with their 20th round pick, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter).
  • Not to be outdone, the Rockies drafted manager Jim Tracy's son, Mark, in the 22nd round, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • The White Sox selected Ozney Guillen in the 22nd round, but Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says Guillen won't likely sign (Twitter link).
  • And before those three teams made their selections, the Tigers picked Patrick Leyland in the eighth round, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
  • Houston's top three picks all told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that they expect to sign. Delino DeShields Jr., Mike Foltynewicz and Michael Kvasnicka could all be in the Astros' system before long.
  • Padres executive Paul DePodesta explains that the club selected high school righty Karsten Whitson with its first round pick because of his upside, even though the pitcher's development could take years.
  • Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer explained to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that the Yankees trust their scouts, even if it means surprising people with picks like Cito Culver.
  • The Tigers announced that director of player development Glenn Ezell stepped down. The timing is odd, to say the least.

D’Backs Designate Saul Rivera For Assignment

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The D'Backs have designated Saul Rivera for assignment to make room for Blaine Boyer, according to the team. The D'Backs acquired Rivera from the Nationals for cash last month, but the right-hander wasn't the solution to Arizona's bullpen woes. Rivera, 32, appeared in four games for the D'Backs and allowed 11 hits and three walks in 3.2 innings, with one strikeout. 

As a group, D'Backs relievers have a 7.19 ERA, so the team continues looking for bullpen arms. Boyer, 29 next month, was part of the problem for manager A.J. Hinch early in the season, when he posted a 7.82 ERA in 14 appearances. But the right-hander returned to the minors and pitched well. Boyer walked one and allowed five hits in six innings, striking out nine.

Christian Colon “Ready To Go” At Short Or Second

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Fourth overall pick Christian Colon says his game is polished enough to take him to the majors before long and he's not the only one who thinks so. Rival executives told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the Cal State Fullerton shortstop could reach the majors by next year. The Royals have to sign Colon for that to happen, and the 21-year-old says he hasn't thought about the terms of or timeline for a deal.

"I haven't talked to anybody about it," he said. "[The Royals] know that I'm ready to go. They know that I want to play."

ESPN.com's Keith Law suspects that the Royals have the framework of a deal in place with Colon and his agent, Scott Boras. Colon isn't concerning himself with the negotiations, but the Royals have already earned points for style.

"I think the Kansas City hat looks really good on me," Colon said.

The shortstop likes watching Elvis Andrus and Derek Jeter, but some project him as a second baseman. Colon grew up watching Roberto Alomar and now likes watching Martin Prado, so he says he's open to a positional change.

"I see myself as a shortstop," he said. "But if the Kansas City Royals see me as a second baseman, then I'm all for it."

Colon, who says he has become stronger since the Padres drafted him in 2007, repeatedly referred to himself as a "born leader" during this afternoon's media conference call. He could soon join recent first rounders Billy Butler (2004), Alex Gordon (2005), Luke Hochevar (2006), Mike Moustakas (2007), Eric Hosmer (2008) and Aaron Crow (2009) in the Kansas City organization.

No Deal Yet For Indians, LeVon Washington

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4:30pm: Indians assistant GM John Mirabelli told MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo that there is no deal. 

"We absolutely do not have any agreements across the board," he said.

3:44pm: Heyman says the deal isn't quite complete (Twitter link) and notes that over-slot deals like Washington's don't often become official until closer to the August deadline for signing picks.

3:00pm: The Indians reached an agreement with second-round pick LeVon Washington for $1.55MM, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  The Indians drafted the outfielder 55th overall; he'd gone to the Rays at #30 out of high school in 2009 but turned down their offer of $1.1MM and attended Chipola Junior College.  Washington is represented by Scott Boras.

MLB.com outlined the knocks on Washington – he might not have the arm to stick in center field, and he comes with a "perceived lack of energy."  On the plus side, he brings offense and above average speed.  Baseball America ranked Washington 66th overall, considering him an enigma who earned Johnny Damon comparisons before the '09 draft but had a disappointing year at junior college.

Brad Thompson Elects Free Agency

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Brad Thompson has chosen to become a free agent after clearing waivers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). The Royals designated Thompson for assignment when they claimed Kanekoa Texeira off of waivers last week. 

Thompson, 28, has a 6.41 ERA in 19.2 innings this year with 4.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Before this season, the right-hander had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, the team that drafted him in 2002. In five seasons with the Cards, Thompson posted a 4.36 ERA in nearly 400 innings as a swingman. The Royals signed Thompson this winter after the Cardinals released him.

Taijuan Walker Hopes To Get Started

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Ask Taijuan Walker to describe himself and he'll tell you that the Mariners selected a “considerate” young man with their supplementary round selection this year. Ask scouts to describe the 17-year-old they saw throwing mid-90s fastballs and “considerate” will probably not be the first word they use. They’ll tell you about a pitcher with a lively fastball and a promising, but inconsistent curve.

Walker may soon be able to show those pitches off in the Mariners’ system, since he has tentative plans to sit down and discuss a deal with the M’s once he graduates from high school this week.

“I want to get signed,” Walker said on a conference call today.

Walker was a promising hitter in high school and admires Mariners bats like Ichiro and Chone Figgins, but doesn’t mind giving up on hitting to focus on pitching.

Indians Designate Grudzielanek For Assignment

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The Indians designated second baseman Mark Grudzielanek for assignment, reports MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  Grudzielanek, 40 in a few weeks, hit .273/.328/.273 in 119 plate appearances for the Tribe before suffering a hamstring injury Sunday.  The Indians called up Anderson Hernandez to take his place.  Hernandez was claimed off waivers from the Mets in March.

The Indians signed Grudzielanek to a minor league deal in mid-January; he'd struggled to find work in '09.  He joins players such as Adam Everett and Mike Lamb in DFA limbo.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Octavio Dotel

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On April 26th, Pirates GM Neal Huntington told MLBTR he felt that Octavio Dotel could provide a similar performance for similar dollars and contractual control as Matt Capps.  That was the reasoning behind non-tendering Capps and signing Dotel to a one-year, $3.5MM deal with a club option for 2011.

On May 1st, Huntington's statement appeared silly.  Dotel had a 10.61 ERA and three saves, while Capps boasted a 0.68 ERA and ten saves.  However, the relievers' fortunes have reversed, as Dotel has a 1.93 ERA since May 1st and Capps is at 6.43.  It's too early to make a final judgment on Huntington's decision, but Dotel is the same pitcher he's been for years.  He'll rack up tons of strikeouts, too many walks, and too many home runs.

Dotel's club option is for $4.5MM with a $500K buyout.  A $4MM net price isn't a bargain for another year of his services, but it's something the Pirates or perhaps another team will have to consider.  But here's the catch, and it makes Dotel's contractual control different from that of Capps.  Dotel's club option becomes a mutual option if traded.  If Dotel continues pitching well, he could be dealt and decline his side of the option.  He might do so in pursuit of a contract similar to the one he had with the White Sox – two years and $11MM.  Another possibility: Dotel could be traded to a team that has the closer spot locked up, and then decline the option in pursuit of save chances in 2011.

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