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Odds & Ends: Bettis, Royals, Astros, Pierzynski

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Links for Friday, as interleague play resumes…

Rays To Sign First Rounder, Close To Deal With Second Rounder

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9:43pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that O'Conner will receive $1.025MM, making him the first 2010 draftee to sign for more money than the corresponding pick in 2009. Brett Jackson signed with the Cubs for $970K last year as the 31st overall pick.

FRIDAY, 4:53pm: O'Conner told Smith that he will sign tonight.

THURSDAY, 4:43pm: Smith also reports that second-rounder Derek Dietrich, taken 79th overall by the Rays, is at Tropicana Field.  Smith writes that "a deal could be finalized today" and Dietrich could be playing in the Tampa Bay system as soon as the weekend.

10:38am: The Rays will sign first round pick Justin O'Conner for an unknown amount tonight, according to Thomas St. Myer of the Muncie Star Press. The deal, which is pending a physical, comes as no surprise since Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reported earlier in the week that the team had the framework of a deal in place with O'Conner.

The 18-year-old catcher had committed to playing at the University of Arkansas, but will instead begin his pro career. MLB.com's scouting report says that going into the draft, some teams liked O'Conner as a pitcher who throws a mid-90s fastball. Josh Sale, the other player the team selected in the first round, could soon join O’Conner. Rays scouting director R.J. Harrison told Smith that the team plans to start contract talks with Sale.

Cardinals Outright Tyler Norrick

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The Cardinals have outrighted lefty Tyler Norrick off the 40-man roster, tweets Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The move frees up a roster spot for the recently re-signed Jeff Suppan.

The 26-year-old Norrick was St. Louis' sixth round pick in the 2006 draft, though he has yet to reach the big leagues. He posted a 7.71 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 15 walks in 16.1 innings split between the Cardinals' High-A and Triple-A affiliates this year, with a disabled list stint in-between. The lefty reliever owns an impressive 8.9 career K/9, but the walks are too high at an even 5.0 BB/9. 

Astros Agree To Deal With Mike Foltynewicz

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The Astros have reached an agreement with first round pick Mike Foltynewicz on a deal that includes a $1.3MM signing bonus, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

The 19-year-old Foltynewicz was the 19th overall pick in Monday's draft after posting a 0.38 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 72.2 innings for Minooka Community High School near Chicago this spring. MLB.com's scouting report says the 6-foot-4, 190 lb. righty can run his fastball up to 96 mph with a sinking changeup and a slurvy breaking ball. 

Houston can now focus on signing Delino DeShields Jr. and Michael Kvasnicka, their other two first round picks. Both have indicated that they expect to sign.

Recommended Bonuses

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Top draft picks can ask for however much they like each summer because nothing officially limits the amount teams spend on their draft picks. Bud Selig presents each team with a recommendation for its slot, but the clubs don't have to stick to it. Here's a quick explanation of slotting:

  • Selig recommends a limit to keep bonuses down.
  • There are no direct consequences for a club that awards a big bonus.
  • Teams aren't supposed to know what the recommended bonuses are for other slots.

Thanks to Murray Chass's recent article on the subject. This post was originally published June 9th, 2009.

D’Backs Meeting To Consider Major Moves

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The D’Backs will consider trading anyone but Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy, as they evaluate the best way to turn the team around, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman hears that owner Ken Kendrick, president Derrick Hall and GM Josh Byrnes are in the midst of meetings to determine the best course of action for the 24-37 team. Last week, Hall told the Arizona Republic that he was open to changes given the club’s disappointing start.

Upton and Kennedy will not be dealt, and Mark Reynolds is likely to stay, but the D’Backs would consider moving others. They would listen on Dan Haren, though the club might prefer to keep him if they believe they can contend in the near future. Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson are possible trade candidates for GM Josh Byrnes, who admits he has to consider trades.

Byrnes has been fighting hard to keep manager A.J. Hinch around, according to Heyman. Hinch, who had never managed before taking over the club last year, does not make a seven-figure salary, so the D’Backs could fire him without having to absorb too much money. And the man who hired Hinch? Heyman reports that no one realistically expects Byrnes to be in the line of fire.

Blue Jays Sign Noah Syndergaard

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The Blue Jays signed supplementary rounder Noah Syndergaard, according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Syndergaard, a high school right-hander from Texas, was selected 38th overall and signed for an unknown amount.

The 17-year-old was one of four right-handed pitchers the Blue Jays selected in the first 41 picks of the draft. Syndergaard throw 92-93 mph and has a "solid delivery," according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. The Blue Jays, who would not have obtained compensation in the 2011 draft if they had failed to sign Syndergaard, can now focus on reaching agreements with right-handers Deck McGuire, Aaron Sanchez and Asher Wojciechowski.

Anticipating Chris Resop’s Next Team

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Chris Resop should be in the major leagues before long, it’s just a question of where. The right-hander has pitched to a 1.84 ERA in 13 Triple A starts this year, striking out more than a batter per inning, and he has a clause in his contract that forces the Braves to expose him to the 29 other clubs if he's not on Atlanta's 25-man roster by June 15th.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the trade market has yet to develop for Resop, who pitched a one-hitter last night. MLB.com's Mark Bowman agrees and notes that no MLB scouts watched Resop last night. Morosi reports that the Braves will trade Resop if they see a good offer, but they’ll promote him if they don’t see a proposal they like. Resop could replace struggling reliever Jesse Chavez in the team’s bullpen.

It’s hard to pinpoint Resop’s value, but as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs points out, pitchers with 9.9 K/9 with ground ball rates approaching 50% open some eyes. Plus, since he doesn’t have much big league experience, Resop would be more than a rental. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Tigers or Mets pursue the 27-year-old.

Yankees, Mets Will Have Interest In Cliff Lee

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The Yankees haven’t started talking with the Mariners about Cliff Lee yet, but they will have interest if Jack Zduriencik makes him available and so will the Mets. Several executives tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Mariners have pro scouts eyeing rival teams’ minor league prospects, even though they haven’t decided to deal Lee at this point. But unless the M's go on a major hot streak, it looks like Lee will be traded for the third time since last summer.

"I would expect to see Lee traded barring a 20 out of the next 30 run by the Mariners,” an AL personnel man told Sherman. “I would not think he'd be traded this month, but if Seattle wants the best return, it would be better off doing it now."

Many teams will have interest in Lee, including the Yankees and the Mets. The Yankees believe the Mariners would ask for Jesus Montero or Austin Romine in a trade for Lee and they would prefer to hold onto their top prospects as long as the price is that steep. Mets officials tell Sherman that they’ll acquire a starter, possibly Lee, if they remain contenders. 

Lee currently ranks as a Type A free agent, so his team will have the chance to obtain two top draft picks for him by offering arbitration this winter. Barring the unexpected, Lee's team will offer arbitration and he will turn it down.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Ibanez, Andruw, Pena

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On this date seven years ago, six Astros pitchers combined to no-hit the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. Roy Oswalt started the game but had to leave after just one inning of work because of a groin issue. He was relieved by Pete Munro and then Kirk Saarloos before the three headed bullpen monster of Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner closed things out. It ended the Yankees' streak of 6,980 games with at least one hit.

Here are a few links to check out from our fellow baseball bloggers…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

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