Giants Sign Pat Burrell
The Giants have signed free agent outfielder Pat Burrell to a minor league deal, reports Mychael Urban of CSNBayarea.com. If the former first overall pick were to reach the majors, San Francisco would pay him the pro-rated portion of the major league minimum, or around $300K.
We learned that the two sides were discussing a deal just two days ago, though Burrell was reportedly mulling over some other options. Burrell was designated for assignment by the Rays before clearing waivers last week, unsurprising given his $9MM price tag. Since joining Tampa prior to the 2009 season, Burrell has hit just .218/.311/.361 in 572 plate appearances, and has been even worse against lefthanders, which was supposed to be his niche.
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported yesterday that if Burrell were to sign with the Giants, his contract would allow him to opt out after two weeks.
Gammons On Ellsbury, Varitek, Beltre
Peter Gammons made his regular appearance on WEEI's The Big Show on Friday afternoon to chat about the Red Sox. Nick Bove has the full transcript, but here are the highlights…
- Gammons notes that Jacoby Ellsbury's rib injuries are coming at a bad time, because he's in line for his first arbitration payday after the season. "He’s got Scott Boras in his ear, telling him what he’s going to make. If he were jaking it, that makes no sense. It’s just the opposite, in fact. This is really important for him to play." Ellsbury has played in just three of the team's last 44 games, and there's no timetable for his return.
- Boras was on board with Ellsbury's move to left field because he wouldn't have to run as much, which would help boost his offensive production and improve his arbitration case. He cited Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson as examples.
- Gammons believes Jason Varitek figured out that he could extend his career by three or four years by accepting a part-time role and playing two or three times a week.
- Adrian Beltre is hitting .342/.371/.511, and Gammons says that Boras played the market perfectly by getting him a one year deal that will allow him to go back out on the market with improved stock after the season.
2010 Draft Prospect: Jameson Taillon
Major League Baseball's amateur draft will be held from June 7th-9th, so we're going to introduce you to some of the top players available between now and then.
The Texas flamethrower demographic is one of the most exciting the amateur draft has to offer, listing Roger Clemens, Josh Beckett and many, many others among it's alumni. This year's addition to that club is 6-foot-7, 230 lb. righthander Jameson Taillon from The Woodlands HS, the same school that produced Blue Jays' prospect Kyle Drabek.
Baseball America ranked Taillon as the second best prospect in the draft class behind Bryce Harper, while ESPN's Keith Law had him third (sub. req'd for both). MLB.com's Draft Report indicates that his fastball sits in the 94-99 mph range and features "explosive movement." He also backs it up with a pair of good breaking balls. Law says that Taillon tends to rush through his delivery, which results in high school hitters squaring up his pitches more than they should be able to against a guy throwing that hard. The MLB.com link features video.
No high school righty has ever been selected first overall, and that trend will continue in 2010 thanks to Harper's presence. Taillon is the best pitcher in the draft, though he's maxed out physically and doesn't offer the same potential for growth as a typical high schooler. Jim Callis of Baseball America projected the Orioles to select Taillon third overall in his latest mock draft.
Giants Recall Buster Posey
The Giants have recalled top prospect Buster Posey from Triple-A, reports Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News. The move has been confirmed by both Ed Price of AOL FanHouse and ESPN's Buster Olney.
"When we bring him here, we want to make sure he’s on the field at least five days a week," said GM Brian Sabean. It's likely that Posey will man first while giving Bengie Molina the occasional day off behind the plate. The 23-year-old crushed the minors this year, hitting .349/.442/.552 in 208 plate appearances, playing some first base in addition to his usual catching duties.
Even though San Francisco waited until the end of May to recall Posey, he's on track to be a Super Two after the 2012 thanks to the month's worth of service time he accrued last September. That could change if the Giants send him back to the minors. Despite being a high profile college player, Posey did not receive a major league contract as the fifth overall pick in 2008, instead taking a $6.2MM bonus (the second largest in draft history) up front.
Brewers Recall Chris Capuano
The Brewers have summoned lefthander Chris Capuano to the big leagues, according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. Capuano had an out clause in his contract that would have allowed him to become a free agent if was not in the big leagues by today.
The 31-year-old last pitched in the majors at the end of the 2007 season. He suffered an elbow injury in Spring Training of 2008, and eventually underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career. In the three years prior to his injury, Capuano posted a 4.28 ERA with a 7.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in close to 600 innings for Milwaukee. He struck out 33 and walked just four while putting up a 1.59 ERA in seven minor league rehab starts this year.
The Brewers will have to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Capuano's arrival, though they could slide Gregg Zaun to the 60-day DL given his torn labrum.
2010 Draft Prospect: Manny Machado
Major League Baseball's amateur draft will be held from June 7th-9th, so we're going to introduce you to some of the top players available during the next few weeks.
High school shortstops have long been a hot commodity during baseball's amateur draft, with six being taken in the first round over the last three years. That includes Tim Beckham and Mike Moustakas, the first overall pick in 2008 and the second overall pick in 2007, respectively. The top shortstop prospect in this year's class (high school or college) is Manny Machado of Brito HS in Miami.
ESPN's Keith Law ranked him as the second best prospect in the draft behind Bryce Harper, while Baseball America had him fourth (subs. req'd for both). MLB.com's Draft Report says that Machado has been "swinging the bat very well" and has a chance to hit for good power, but it's uncertain if he can remain at short as his 6-foot-3, 190 lb. frame fills out. Law notes that he "he has the tools to be a plus defender there," though acknowledges the possibly of him moving off the position. The MLB.com link has video.
Being a righthanded hitting shortstop from Miami with a big frame draws obvious comparisons to Alex Rodriguez, though it's completely unfair to put that on anyone, let alone a kid still in high school. Machado simply doesn't have A-Rod's innate hitting ability. In his latest mock draft, Baseball America's Jim Callis projects the Pirates to select Machado with the second overall pick, and it's hard to envision him getting past the Mets and the seventh overall pick.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Braves, Mets, Oswalt
On this date 12 years ago, Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter ordered closer Gregg Olsen to intentionally walk Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Arizona was leading the Giants 8-6 at the time, and the move not only forced in a run, but also put the winning run in scoring position. The next batter, Brent Mayne, flew out to deep center field to end the inning and give the D'Backs the 8-7 win. It was just the third time in history that a batter was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, though the Rays' Joe Maddon turned the same trick with Josh Hamilton in August 2008.
Coincidentally, Bonds hit his 715th career homer to pass Babe Ruth for sole possession of second place on the all-time list on this same date back in 2006. Anyway, here's a collection of links from around the baseball blogiverse…
- Prospect Insider examines the Cliff Lee trade market.
- Capitol Avenue Club lists six players the Braves could select with their first pick, #35 overall, in next month's draft. Atlanta sent their first round pick, #20 overall, to the Red Sox as compensation for signing Billy Wagner.
- Mets Paradise looks at the internal candidates the Mets could turn to if they need to fill another rotation spot.
- Yankeeist reviews some players the Yankees either let go or passed on last offseason, plus some players they could pursue next winter.
- Dodger Dugout tries to figure out what Ned Colletti might be thinking as the trade deadline slowly approaches.
- Meanwhile, The Baseball Opinion speculates about Roy Oswalt landing with the Dodgers.
- The Bottom Line says that John Lackey's curve has been lacking with the Red Sox.
- River Ave. Blues takes a deeper look at some draft prospects the Yankees have been linked to.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Green, Oswalt, Mets, Gaudin, Werth
Links for Saturday….
- With Rafael Furcal returning to the Dodgers, the out-of-options Nick Green is a candidate for demotion, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com.
- Roy Oswalt told Houston owner Drayton McLane that he wouldn't mind coming back and finishing his career with the organization, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.
- More on Oswalt: Footer (via Twitter) is skeptical about the Mets' chances of acquiring Houston's ace. Meanwhile, manager Brad Mills doesn't expect Oswalt's trade request to be a clubhouse distraction, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- At MLB.com, Peter Gammons takes a look at a few underachieving teams who are under pressure to make changes.
- Scott Olsen has been placed on the disabled list, but Stephen Strasburg won't be the pitcher called up to take his roster spot, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Jack Curry of the YES Network (via Twitter) asked Mets GM Omar Minaya if Jerry Manuel is managing to save his job. Minaya answered, "I don't want to say that. I wouldn't say that's the case."
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Chad Gaudin received and turned down a minor league assignment offer from the A's.
- Mike Lowell told Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald that he has no regrets about passing on a four year, $37.5MM contract offer from the Phillies after the 2007 season.
- Jayson Werth said he's "played [his] entire career for this year," according to David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Werth, of course, is referring to his contract year and impending free agent payday.
- Chris Iannetta remains the one who got away for the Red Sox, who almost drafted the catcher back in 2004 according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
- Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune analyzed the Carlos Gomez–J.J. Hardy trade now that we're six months out.
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Reds have gotten tremendous production out of their bargain basement left field combo of Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix ($1.4MM combined salary).
2010 Draft Prospect: Zack Cox
Major League Baseball's amateur draft will be held from June 7th-9th, so we're going to introduce you to some of the top players available during the next few weeks.
College hitters are a hot commodity in the draft because of the perception that they're a safe pick, and this year's top bat from a four-year college is Arkansas third baseman Zack Cox. A 20th round pick of the Angels in 2008 (607th overall), Cox didn't sign and is draft eligible again this year as a sophomore because he turns 21 within 45 days of the draft.
ESPN's Keith Law ranked Cox as the 6th best player available in the draft while Baseball America had him 7th (subs. req'd for both). MLB.com's Draft Report says that he has "a great, compact swing with excellent bat speed" and "will be a plus hitter in the future." His defense isn't as promising as his bat, though he has a strong arm and recently spent some time at second base, where he reportedly looks more comfortable. The MLB.com link also includes video.
Cox was hitting .432/.524/.606 with a 29/33 K/BB ratio and 11 steals in 12 attempts coming into this weekend's games. The lefty swinger actually has a reverse platoon split on the season, hitting .456/.542/.632 against southpaws according to CollegeSplits.com. Cox recently dealt with a strained muscle in his back, but the injury doesn't carry any long-term concerns.
As a draft eligible sophomore, Cox has more negotiating leverage than most draftees because he'll be able to return to school for his junior season and enter next year's draft. Baseball America's Jim Callis projected the Indians to draft him 5th overall in his latest mock draft, which would be the third college hitter they've selected with their top pick in the last four years.
Olney’s Latest: Oswalt, Mariners, Jays, Sonnanstine
In today's blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney wrote about the major hurdles the Astros will face in trying to trade Roy Oswalt. The biggest obstacles are Oswalt's salary (owed $29MM through 2011), his history of back trouble, his full-no trade clause, and the fact that teams are coveting young players more than ever and might not be willing to give up a package good enough to convince owner Drayton McLane to move one of his star players.
As one GM put it, "a no-trade clause doesn't become a must-trade clause." Another believes they won't "just give the guy away." Here's the rest of Olney's rumors…
- The Mariners continue to search for a hitter.
- Toronto's asking for one or two prospects for relievers Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, but rival executives believe that asking price to be very high.
- Some executives believe that the Rays will make Andy Sonnanstine available at some point this summer. Olney suggests the Mets as a potential fit, noting that there were brief talks between the two teams about a trade this offseason.