Talkin’ Ryan Spilborghs
With the promotion of 23-year-old outfielder Carlos Gonzalez from Triple-A, Ryan Spilborghs now stands as the fifth outfielder in Colorado. He's not an All-Star, and probably never will be, but Spilborghs deserves a bit more playing time than he'll get with the Rockies. Thus, he's on the proverbial trading block.
As Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported Friday evening, "The Red Sox have interest in Spilborghs, and Tampa and Atlanta are looking for outfield help. The Cubs have always liked Spilborghs as well."
Draft Roundup: Mock Draft, Strasburg, Gibson
Major League Baseball's amateur draft is now just three days away, so let's round up the latest news.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America posted version three of their Mock Draft yesterday (subscription req'd). He projects the top three picks to be Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley, and Donavan Tate.
- After Strasburg is announced as the first overall pick on Tuesday, he will not meet with the media at his home or on the San Diego State campus, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Strasburg will instead hold his press conference in "the main lobby of the Boras Corporation offices."
- Conor Glassey reports that Missouri righthander Kyle Gibson experienced tightness in his forearm during his start last weekend, which is causing his velocity and stock to drop. Gibson was a consensus top 15 talent prior to the injury.
- Mark Heller of The East Valley Tribune spoke to Diamondbacks scouting director Tom Allison, who says the team will "stay true to best person on the board." With seven of the first 64 picks, there was some thought that the D-Backs would seek out players willing to sign for, or below slot to save money.
- Steve Buckley of The Boston Herald wrote about how the Red Sox's recent success in the draft has fans following the event more closely than ever.
A Penny For Phillies’ Staff?
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki is reporting that the Phillies have been following Boston's Brad Penny, and have been told the price for Penny is Jason Donald. Buster Olney had reported this as well.
Donald has struggled early, but it is hard to believe the Phillies would make such a deal. If they see the guy who pitched 208 innings of 3.03 ERA baseball for the Dodgers in 2007, maybe. But Penny is at 6.04 ERA in 149 innings ever since, and it is hard to see Penny as enough of an upgrade to warrant dealing one of your best middle infield prospects.
Zolecki also reports that the Phils don't seem to view Tom Glavine or Vicente Padilla as options. Hard to believe the Phils would take on another Jamie Moyer-like pitcher in Glavine, or deal for a pitcher, Padilla, they dealt away for very little a few years ago.
Realistically, none of these pitchers is likely to pitch better than Antonio Bastardo, who was dominant at Double-A Reading.
Draft Updates: Red Sox, Rays, Angels, Phillies
Here's what five of last year's playoff teams plan to do with their draft choices…
- MLB.com's Ian Browne says the Red Sox are happy to be selecting 28th because it means they were successful in the majors last year.
- Like the Red Sox, the Rays pick late, but they're not used to it, having had the first overall pick the last two years. As MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports the Rays are considering 15 or 20 players with their 30th pick and there's some speculation they could go for a catcher.
- The Cubs are focusing on doing well deep into the draft according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Their first pick will be the 31st overall.
- The Phillies' first pick will come after 74 players have already been selected. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that they'd like to add more bats and left-handed pitching.
- The Angels, on the other hand, have five of the first 48 picks. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer says they'd like to add some power at the corner infield and outfield positions. They're one of many teams interested in high school outfielder Everett Williams.
And some buzz surrounding the nation's top amateur players…
- ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill hears that the Mariners may be intimidated by the demands Scott Boras will likely make for his client, Dustin Ackley. He's considered the best college hitter in the draft, but the Mariners are apparently not willing to offer more than $6MM to sign him. Aaron Crow could be an alternative for the Mariners.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law believes it would be a mistake for the Padres to take Mike Minor with the third pick. Check the article out for more updates on some top talent.
- In a separate piece Law tracks the improvements some players- Stephen Strasburg, for one- make between high school and college.
Braves Interested In Penny?
2:09pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman heard from a major league source who said the Braves have no interest in Penny. Bowman writes that "the Braves won't be among the teams showing interest in the big right-hander."
1:42pm: According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney the Braves are "in conversation with the Red Sox" about Brad Penny, who is pitching better as the season progresses. The Red Sox have been scouting Jeff Francoeur, who the Braves may be interested in moving, in part because he makes over $3MM this year and the Braves are watching their payroll carefully.
Jason Bay’s Next Contract
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that Jason Bay's focusing on baseball for now and sorting out his next contract after the season, when he becomes a free agent. Any number of teams could go after Bay. After all, his OPS is over 1.000 and he's second in the league in both homers and RBI. He'll be 31 when the season ends, so he should have several productive years left. He may be able to command as much as $70MM for five years, as J.D. Drew did. Morosi considers three possible suitors for Bay:
- The Red Sox don't have an obvious player within their system who's ready to replace Bay, so Morosi says he'd be surprised if they don't resign him. Bay says Boston "is high on the list" of teams he'd want to sign with.
- The Yankees could be looking for corner outfield help this offseason, so it's not safe to rule them out.
- The Mariners probably wouldn't outbid either the Yankees or the Red Sox, but Bay lives near Safeco Field in Seattle and he says it's one of his "possible destinations."
Odds And Ends: Nats, Astros, Putz, Brewers
More links for Friday afternoon…
- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post believes the Lerner family and Stan Kasten have to take responsibility for a weak Nationals team and turn it around in Washington.
- Former Nats GM Jim Bowden told WUSA9 that in retrospect he wishes he'd kept a closer eye on the Nationals' actions in the Dominican.
- More from Richard Justice on his chat with Astros owner Drayton McLane. It's "likely" that Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Valverde and Miguel Tejada will be shopped.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he wouldn't be surprised if Braves GM Frank Wren calls the Rockies about Ryan Spilborghs, now Colorado's fifth outfielder.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Vicente Padilla wants to stay with the Rangers.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports J.J. Putz will undergo elbow surgery Tuesday and miss at least two months.
- An interesting tweet from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: There's talk of the Red Sox having interest in J.J. Hardy.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers are eyeing pitching in this year's draft. They'll have to wait until late in first round to acquire any, however, as they select 26th.
Odds And Ends: Atkins, Ortiz, Bedard
Some links for your Friday morning…
- Garrett Atkins hit a pair of homers yesterday, emerging from an extended slump and taking the first step towards restoring his trade value.
- Could Big Papi's struggles be related to a vision problem? Ron Borges of the Boston Herald reports that David Ortiz will get his eyes tested.
- On the Newberg Report Jamey Newberg sees Elvis Andrus as the leader of great Rangers teams to come. Newberg passes along a comment from Baseball America's Jim Callis: Andrus would be "in the mix" for the second overall pick in this year's draft if he were eligible.
- Erik Bedard said on ESPN radio that he loves Seattle and doesn't concern himself with trade rumors. He added that the Mariners haven't approached him about a contract extension, but sounded open to the idea (Hat Tip: Bleeding Blue and Teal).
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram points out that if no one wants Vicente Padilla now, he's not likely to be hotly pursued this offseason if the Rangers buy out his $12MM option for 2010.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Pirates president Frank Coonelly maintains the team hasn't given up on 2009. He even says he expects the Pirates to contend.
- Laura Keeley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that fans are not happy about the McLouth trade in Pittsburgh.
Glavine Rumors: Red Sox, Dodgers, Nats, Mets
- According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, a source close to Tom Glavine says the Red Sox are "close to the top, if not at the top" of the list of teams the lefty would pitch for. The Red Sox seem well-stocked with arms for now and Glavine's friend John Smoltz is nearing his Boston debut, so the team appears to have no room for Glavine now.
- Kevin Baxter of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers are "not likely to pursue" Glavine.
- David Lennon of Newsday has a source who says the Mets aren't interested in reacquiring him.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Nationals aren't interested in bringing Glavine aboard as a player, but they would have interest in him as a mentor or coach.
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.