Orioles Rumors

Odds And Ends: Draft, Atkins, Lima

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 4, 2009 at 9:45am CDT

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.

Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lohse, LaRussa

By Mike Axisa | June 3, 2009 at 9:21pm CDT

Some late night linkage as you wait to see if Randy Johnson picks up win number 300:

Jeff Zrebiec says that the Orioles may end up releasing Jamie Walker in the coming days.
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins will designate reliever Hayden Penn for assignment. It's unclear who will take his place on the roster.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson says not to expect to see Tom Glavine in a Nationals uniform, but the team wouldn't mind having him as pitching mentor/coach. Glavine and team president Stan Kasten have a long standing relationship.
Miguel Tejada wants to finish his career in Houston. With the Astros already seven games back of first and a handful of teams looking for upgrades at shortstop and/or third base, Tejada probably won't get his wish.
Kyle Lohse left tonight's start in the third inning when his right forearm discomfort returned. Just yesterday there was talk of the Cardinals dealing from their pitching depth to address their infield issues, but depth on the mound has a way of disappearing quickly.
Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter. Whether Tony likes it or not, Twitter is here to stay.

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

Odds And Ends: Redding, Aurilia, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2009 at 2:12pm CDT

O’s Won’t Risk Losing Pie Through Waivers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2009 at 10:32am CDT

Steve Melewski of MASN.com heard that the O's do not plan on sending Felix Pie to the minor leagues because they would have to expose him to waivers to do so. Team president Andy MacPhail says "he'd never get through" so the Orioles will keep him in the majors for now.

With Nolan Reimold's emergence, Baltimore has five outfielders, including Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Luke Scott. Pie has struggled so far, but MacPhail has a "pretty talented" group of outfielders so he says "there's nothing about the outfield that makes [him] unhappy."

Draft Update: Strasburg, Orioles, D’Backs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2009 at 9:18am CDT

Here's the latest news on next week's draft:

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Ben McDonald may meet Stephen Strasburg at the draft. It was 20 years ago, but McDonald was once the best pitching prospect anyone had ever seen and he had Scott Boras advising him, just like Strasburg.
Check out the comparison chart at the bottom of Nightengale's article to see why McDonald was just as highly touted as Strasburg is today. Also, check out our Boras Blast From The Past feature on McDonald from April.
According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun the Orioles have scouted college shortstop Grant Green extensively, but it "appears likely" they'll pass and choose between the many high school and college arms that figure to be available when the O's select fifth.
To be as prepared as possible for the draft the D'Backs had their pro scouts look at amateur players and vice versa, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Mike Leake and Bobby Borchering are two names to watch for the D'Backs.
MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that the Cardinals could go for a younger player this year, as their upper-minors are well-stocked.
As Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Pitt infield prospect Chris Sedon will be in the dentist's chair getting a cavity filled during the draft because it was the only available appointment.
On ESPN radio Keith Law says "slot is dead" because ultimately the recommended bonuses from the commissioner's office are "just recommendations."
Even though Strasburg has leverage with the Nationals, Law says it's in his best interest to sign this year and predicts an eleventh hour agreement between the two sides.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Nationals, O’s

By | June 2, 2009 at 9:22pm CDT

A few Tuesday night links…

ESPN.com's Keith Law has version two of his MLB Mock Draft. It's subscriber-only, but an excellent way to get ready for the June 9 First-Year Player Draft.
If you're not an ESPN Insider, and don't want to fork over the cash, John Sickels of SB Nation's Minor League Ball ranks his own Top 50.
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post believes the recent firing of Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire is part of an overall "philosophical shift."
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun outlines the Orioles' draft options. The club is reportedly still considering "seven to nine players" for the fifth overall pick.
Peter Gammons, Jayson Stark and FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal each appeared on ESPN Radio today. If you'd like to get caught up, here's the audio archive.
Follow MLBTR on Twitter!

Odds And Ends: Peavy, Cards, Strasburg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 2, 2009 at 4:40pm CDT

Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Peavy, Indians, Torre

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 1, 2009 at 2:59pm CDT

Draft Updates: M’s, Padres, Pirates, O’s

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 1, 2009 at 2:09pm CDT

Here are some updates to prepare you for the top five picks in the 2009 draft, which takes place a week from tomorrow.

The Mariners pick second and they have four of the first 51 picks. That's why the Mariners' scouting director told MLB.com's Jim Street that this is the most important draft in franchise history. That's a bold statement considering the Mariners drafted both Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. Dustin Ackley, who the Mariners may well choose, told David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus that he doesn't care who drafts him.
The Padres are tight-lipped about what they plan to do with their third overall pick, as MLB.com's Corey Brock reports.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington identified Stephen Strasburg as the best available pitcher and Ackley as the best available hitter in Jenifer Langosch's MLB.com article. The Pirates, who pick fourth, say there's a group of quality arms available after those two players.
Baltimore's director of scouting says the O's will take the best available player in next week's draft. MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says they'll have the chance to take an elite arm with their fifth overall pick.
Lane Meyer of NoMaas.org heard that the Yankees are impressed by the depth of the left-handed pitching class in this year's draft.

No Regrets For Jays On Snider Situation

By Steve Adams | May 31, 2009 at 2:44pm CDT

It's become a trend in baseball to hold top prospects back at the beginning of the season. We've seen the Rays do this with David Price, and the same situation would have occurred with Evan Longoria had it not been for injuries on the big league club. The Orioles finally just called up Matt Wieters this weekend, and the Brewers employed this method with Ryan Braun back in 2007.

Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi has a different outlook on the situation, and says that he has no regrets in making the decision to give Toronto's prized outfield prospect Travis Snider a shot on the big league club to start the season:

"I don't get caught up in the whole, 'Oh, we better hold this guy back, because we control him' [attitude]. I think what you want to do is take your best players and, if they have to go back down, they go back down. You can still get that time back a couple months down the road."

Snider certainly earned his way onto the club, hitting .381 while clubbing four home runs and driving in 10 runs through 22 games this Spring, but has gone into a deep slump after a hot start. In the month of May, Snider had posted a line of .213/.237/.243 and 11 strikeouts with just one walk.

Baltimore's Andy MacPhail commented on his own situation with Wieters, using Snider's struggles to support his decision to keep Wieters in the minors:

"We think Wieters is ready," MacPhail was quoted as saying in the Toronto Sun. "We don't want to be like Toronto with Snider and return the player to the Minors."

Did Ricciardi rush Snider to the Majors? What would the MLBTR readers have done in that situation, given Snider's strong Spring Training performance?

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