Padres Acquire Mike O’Connor
Bill Ladson at MLB.com reports that the Nationals have traded lefty Mike O'Connor to the Padres for a player to be named later. The Nationals reportedly made the move to clear roster space at Triple-A Syracuse, though it's unclear who would take his spot.
The 28-year-old O'Connor was once considered one of the top Nats pitching prospects. It's not certain where he'll fit in to the Padres' plans just yet. He hasn't pitched since last year, but has accumulated a 5.45 ERA and a 63/56 K/BB ratio in 114 major-league innings.
Pedro In Talks With Cubs, Rays?
The Associated Press talked to Pedro Martinez, who says he has had discussions with the Cubs and Rays.
"There's a good chance I'll be signing soon, but there still isn't anything firm," Martinez said.
This fits in with reports last week that Pedro had worked out with the teams, though Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times talked with a Rays official who said it was "very unlikely" anything would come of it. Martinez also said he wants to pitch for a contender, because he needs the "emotion of competition."
Where will he land? Keep up with all the latest coverage of Pedro Martinez here.
Draft Day 2 Roundup: Mets, Indians, Red Sox
Writers are rolling in the draft recaps. Let's see if we can't keep up with a few:
- The Mets took a majority of pitchers and outfielders, says MLB.com's Tim Britton.
- The Angels' second day was highlighted with University of Washington QB Jake Locker, says MLB's Lyle Spencer.
- The Dodgers snagged Jeremy Wise, Big 12 player of the year and one of three catchers in their draft, according to David Ely at MLB.com.
- 20 of the Indians' 30 draft choices were pitchers this year, notes Anthony Castrovince.
- The Red Sox took mostly pitchers, but struck an even balance between high school and college talent, note Joe McDonald and Daniel Barbarisi at the Providence Journal.
- According to Wayne Staats at MLB.com, Pirates GM Neal Huntington says 21 of the 30 players drafted have asked for six figures.
- B.J. Rains recaps the Cardinals' second draft day, which erred on the side of college talent after a few high-upside prep school picks on day one.
- The Marlins aimed to restock their pitching, says David Villaveciencio at MLB.com.
- ESPN's tireless Keith Law recaps Day 2 for a few teams, including the Pirates and A's (subscription req'd).
Discussion: Are White Sox Buyers or Sellers?
The Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzales got a hold of White Sox GM Kenny Williams to discuss the team's recent woes, losing seven of nine and sitting five and half games out of first place. When asked if he'd break up the team if the losing streak continued, it appeared he'd be taking a "wait-and-see approach":
"Hard decisions always have to be made. But very clearly, we are in a transitional phase, and if this team shows me at some point they don't pick it up at some point (sic), yeah, I'm going to have do some things that maybe aren't going to be the most popular but in the best interests of the club."
He says such decisions are "a little ways away." But with Ozzie Guillen's prediction that Carlos Quentin won't be back until past the All-Star Break, the 27-32 Sox could make moves sooner rather than later.
The Sox still have a few stagnant performers who could be primed for breakout–Alexei Ramirez comes to mind–but if you were GM, would you act as a buyer or seller? As a buyer, what deals would make sense to help them contend? As a seller, who would be the first pieces to go?
Pirates Acquire Chris Snelling
According to beat reporter Jen Langosch at MLBlogs, the Pirates have acquired outfielder Chris Snelling from the Padres for future considerations. He'll be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Snelling, 27, had signed a minor-league deal with the Pads in March. He's put up a .760 OPS in 93 games on various teams dating back to 2002.
Odds & Ends: Rockies, Mariners, Astros
Some linkage as we enter the post-draft hangover, with more to come:
- Troy E. Renck at the Denver Post offers up his theories for the Rockies' reasoning behind choosing Tyler Matzek–a potentially tough sign.
- According to Ryan Divish at the Tacoma Tribune News, RHP Denny Stark, who was designated for assignment on Sunday by the Mariners, has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Tacoma.
- So says Zachary Levine at the Houston Chronicle, the Astros have outrighted RHP Geoff Geary to Triple-A Round Rock. He can report there or opt to become a free agent.
- La Velle E. Neal III at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a handy rundown of all the Twins' picks. Troy E. Renck has a nice one for the Rockies, too.
- Chico Harlan at the Washington Post has a transcript of the press conference with Mike Rizzo and new pick Drew Storen.
- Keith Law at ESPN has a video recap of the high school talent in this year's draft.
The Market for Glavine
He may be busy filing a grievance against the Braves with the players union, but could Tom Glavine still feasibly help a few teams? Glavine claims a couple teams have called offering work of some kind. Here's what we've learned over the past week.
- MLB Trade Rumors got a hold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold, who says the Cardinals brass have expressed little interest in the veteran.
- The Marlins are supposedly at budget, and thus have no interest in Glavine, according to Juan C. Rodriguez at the Sun-Sentinel.
- Todd Zolecki at MLB.com says the Phillies don't seem to view Glavine as an option.
- Michael Hunt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel doesn't think the Brewers should pursue him.
- Kevin Baxter at the L.A. Times claims the Dodgers aren't likely to pursue Glavine. Peter Gammons wonders if they'd reconsider.
- David Lennon at Newsday says the Mets aren't interested in re-signing him.
- Bill Ladson at MLB.com thinks the Nationals would want him more for a coaching gig, not as a player.
Does Glavine make sense for any teams, or was the Braves' assessment the nail in the coffin for his playing career?
Odds & Ends: Draft, Cardinals, Mets
A dosage of mostly vague, speculative links to calm the nerves before tomorrow's draft:
- Derrick Goold at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gives part 2 of his rundown of potential picks for the Cardinals.
- Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe talked to one former scouting director who says the Nats should think "long and hard" before selecting Stephen Strasburg.
- The Phillies have to wait until the 75th pick for their first draft selection, and David Gurian-Peck at MLB.com says they're leaning toward a high school player.
- Dan Connolly at the Baltimore Sun dishes on the Orioles' draft options at pick no. 5. President Andy MacPhail says he's not afraid to dole out a large bonus.
- Mark Bowman at MLB.com talked to Braves head of scouting Roy Clark and speculates the Braves will pursue pitching with the seventh pick.
- Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer relays the opinion of Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant that the MLB draft needs a medical combine.
- Matthew Cerrone at MetsBlog is fielding questions for an exclusive interview with Mets skipper Jerry Manuel.
Rangers To Pursue Pitching?
After it appeared Brandon McCarthy would hit the DL with a stress fracture in his right shoulder blade, T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com chatted with Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who is going to turn to Doug Mathis for the open rotation spot for now. But he didn't rule out the possibility of a deal to shore up the position:
"'I'm open to it,' Daniels said. 'It's something we'll look into, but it's easier said than done. My expectation is we'll go with the guys we have. If there is a quality guy available, we'll look into it, but it's easier said than done.'"
Closer Frank Francisco is also hurting, and Daniels has made discussing relief pitching his "short-term focus," he told Sullivan.
The Rangers have been hit hard by the injury bug, but they remain atop the AL West with a 33-23 record, 4.5 games ahead of the Angels. Who makes sense to fill the holes? Are they still a legitimate contender?
Red Sox Discussing Shortstop Options
According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have "left no stone unturned" in their search for a shortstop. Rounding out the list of names are Omar Vizquel, Jack Wilson, J.J. Hardy, the aforementioned Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Jason Donald, Miguel Tejada and a mystery shortstop with the Braves. Ideally, Jed Lowrie would make a speedy return from the DL before they begin making any decisions.
As noted earlier, the Sox inquired on Cabrera but apparently aren't interested.
What should the Sox do? Just speculation–could the Braves' shortstop be Yunel Escobar or is it someone else?