Olney On Glavine, Dunn, Penny
ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders where Tom Glavine will land and comes up with a couple options. The Rangers, who are looking to shed Vicente Padilla, "will probably talk about Glavine." Olney says the pitcher could also "fit cheaply" with the Marlins and former Braves coach, Fredi Gonzalez. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Adam Dunn fits Boston's needs, but the Nationals would want a "big-time pitching prospect" in exchange for the slugger. The two teams match up well, but Olney warns this doesn't mean we'll see a deal.
- The Phillies heard that the Red Sox would want infielder Jason Donald in exchange for Brad Penny.
- The Reds are looking for a third baseman.
- Olney hears buzz that the Mariners may pass on Dustin Ackley, who's considered the best college hitter in the draft. If that's the case, the Padres would consider him and Donovan Tate with their 3rd pick.
- The Brewers are "actively looking" to improve their team.
Braves Discussed Ross; Hermida Available Too?
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Braves were in serious discussions to trade for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross before pulling off the Nate McLouth deal yesterday. The Marlins made Ross available, but ultimately decided not to deal him. Some within the Atlanta organization would have preferred to trade for Ross because he wouldn't have commanded as much of a return as McLouth did.
Draft Updates: Jays, Twins, White Sox
Let's take a look at what the Jays, Twins and White Sox are saying about the draft:
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says James Paxton is an "intriguing possibility" for the Jays with their 20th pick, but says his agent, Scott Boras, probably takes the Jays "out of the mix." Drew Storen and Chad Jenkins could be options for Toronto, which has five of the first 104 picks.
- As MLB.com's Kelly Thesier reports, the Twins are expected to draft a young arm with the 22nd pick in the draft.
- The White Sox, who follow the Twins at 23rd overall, have five of the first 102 picks. Last year's first round pick, Gordon Beckham, is about to debut for the Sox. This time around MLB.com's Scott Merkin suggests we shouldn't be surprised if they go for a "leadoff-type athletic outfielder."
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has all three teams taking high schoolers in his latest mock draft. He has outfielder Everett Williams going to the Jays, pitcher Matt Hobgood going to the Twins and outfielder Michael Trout going to the White Sox.
Bryce Harper, 16-Year-Old Phenom
Tom Verducci of SI.com introduces us to a 16-year-old so tantalizing multiple MLB scouting directors say he would be a top-five pick if eligible for this year's draft. Bryce Harper, a high school sophomore, has drawn comparisons to Justin Upton, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.. The entire article's worth reading, but here are some of the reasons Harper's attracting so much attention:
- He hit the longest home run in Tropicana Field history, at 502 feet.
- He's reportedly hit balls as far as 570 feet.
- His throws have been clocked at 96 mph.
- He's fast enough to have scored from second on six wild pitches this year.
Scott Boras is one of Harper's advisers, so look for big demands once he's drafted. That won't likely happen until 2011, but his parents would like Harper to be available in next year's draft. It would be hard not to think highly of your skill if you were labeled the "LeBron James of baseball," and Harper has no shortage of ambition.
- He wants to reach the majors by the time he's 18 or 19.
- Among his goals: "to be in the Hall of Fame" and to "be considered the greatest baseball player of all time."
Odds And Ends: Draft, Atkins, Lima
Some non-McLouth, non-Glavine links to start your Thursday off…
- On draft day, the Orioles, who pick fifth, will have an ordered list of their top five players and will choose the highest ranked player remaining regardless of position according to Jim Hunter of MASN.com.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com would like to see the O's use their pick on a high school arm: either Zack Wheeler or Jacob Turner.
- The D'Backs will have a bigger draft budget than usual, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. They could spend "in the neighborhood of $10MM," since they have seven of the first 64 picks. Not bad, considering the Mets won't have picked once by then.
- The Yankees don't get anything if they can't sign the player they choose 29th overall so, as MLB.com's Brian Hoch reports, signability is a factor.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wonders if Garrett Atkins could be in line for a demotion to Triple A.
- Jose Lima's making a comeback! MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that Lima visited the Dodger Stadium press box last night.
- Jorge Says No! chatted with Garry Templeton, Lima's manager, about the 36-year-old pitcher. Apparently he still throws 90 mph.
- Check out this clip of David Ortiz's visit with Torii Hunter on Hanging with Mr. Hunter.
Reactions To McLouth Deal, Glavine’s Release
The Braves caught our attention yesterday with two major moves. They released Tom Glavine and then traded for Nate McLouth an hour later. Here's an assortment of reactions from around the majors:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to one executive who believes the Pirates sent a mixed message by signing McLouth to an extension and dealing him soon after. One team official says the Pirates never shopped McLouth, which suggests they were impressed by the Braves' offer.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he usually loves deals like this for the team acquiring young talent. In this case, he doesn't believe the Pirates got enough. For the Braves, however, it's a "brilliant" move.
- MLB.com's Adam Rosenberg reports that McLouth will arrive in Atlanta today.
- MLB.com's Jen Langosch sees both sides of the deal for the Pirates: It's possible Neal Huntington could have traded McLouth for more, but the three players he obtained are good ones.
- In spite of all the analysis, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says we won't really know who won this deal for months or even years.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the fan reaciton has been "mostly negative."
- John Smoltz's reaction to the Braves' decision to release his former teammate: "That's not how you treat people." Smoltz disagrees openly with the move in the rest of his discussion with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Glavine can prove the Braves wrong by pitching well for another team.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan believes it took a "healthy dose of emotional detachment" to cut Glavine, one that signaled "a clean break from the Braves' old identity."
Braves Release Tom Glavine
5:48pm: David Lennon of Newsday tweets that the Mets are not considering bringing Glavine back. Also, word via radio reports is that Tommy Hanson will come up to start Saturday. That's Kris Medlen's turn, but he's not in the Nate McLouth deal.
4:42pm: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports the Braves have released Tom Glavine. Glavine signed an incentive-laden deal with the Braves this winter that could have paid him as much as $4.5MM. He would have received a $1MM bonus for making the team. Glavine had just finished rehabbing and had proclaimed himself ready for big league action.
We heard today that Glavine doesn't expect to play in 2010, but his career could be over sooner than that. Ironically, his release comes on the same day fellow-lefty Randy Johnson makes his first attempt at joining Glavine in the 300 win club.
Pirates President On McCutchen, Draft, Sano
Pirates President Frank Coonelly told fans that the Pirates plan on pursuing Miguel Angel Sano, but said they'll also be able to spend on the drraft. Here are the specifics from Coonelly's MLB.com chat:
- Andrew McCutchen, who's playing well in Triple A, will likely play in the majors at some point this season.
- A quote worth passing along: "Contrary to some suggestions in the media, however, we have no intention of attempting to save money in the Draft so we can apply it to one or more high profile international players."
- Instead, he says the Pirates plan to acquire top talent through the draft and through international free agent signings.
- Like any 16-year-old, Sano is no sure thing, if you ask Coonelly.
- But since Sano's unlike most 16-year-olds, the Pirates will make him an offer.
- "If Miguel decides that he has an offer that is superior to the one that we present to him, we will continue to have a strong presence in the Dominican," Coonelly said.
Rangers Place Padilla On Waivers
Evan Grant of D Magazine reports that the Rangers have placed Vicente Padilla on outright waivers. The righty makes $12MM this year and the Rangers have the option of paying him the same amount in 2010 or buying him out for $1.75MM.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also hears that Padilla has been put on outright waivers. Padilla's "history of moodiness and inconsistency" works against the Rangers, writes Rosenthal. Hitting Mark Teixeira twice last night can't have helped Padilla's reputation.
Cardinals Release Former First Round Pick
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tyler Herron is no longer a part of the Cardinals' plans. They released the former first round pick today. Herron, 22, was the 46th selection in the 2005 draft, the same draft that produced Colby Rasmus for St. Louis. Herron pitched well as recently as 2007.
In 45.2 innings at Double A this year, Herron collected 37 strikeouts and allowed 70 baserunners for an ERA of 4.37. Not inspired numbers, but not bad for a 22-year-old. I'd expect someone to pick Herron up, especially given his history as a top prospect.