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Odds And Ends: Crow, Willis, Bay

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More links for the afternoon…

  • Aaron Crow, the Royals' first round draft pick, told MLB.com's Rustin Dodd that this year, he's focused on completing a deal and beginning to play. Last year, he was drafted by the Nationals, but didn't sign.
  • Mike Hazen, the Red Sox Director of Player Personnel, told CMSB Media that the team has already begun working on the 2010 draft. Click the link to hear the entire interview. 
  • The most intriguing name in next year's draft class could be Bryce Harper. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says Harper should finish high school early if his "dream is to play pro ball, not flirt in homeroom."
  • Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press would like to see the Twins try to acquire Robb Quinlan from the Angels.
  • Steve Kornacki of MLive.com wonders whether the Tigers would release Dontrelle Willis and eat the remainder of this year's $10MM contract, plus the $12MM he's owed in 2010.
  • Brett Perryman of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers' number one priority should be to prepare players within the organization to carry the Rangers to the playoffs in "2010 and on."
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says it's hard to imagine Jason Bay signing for less than $60MM over four years or $70MM over five.
  • Jeff Gordon includes Reggie Jackson, Orlando Hudson and David Ortiz on his list of the best ever free agent bargains at AskMen.com.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders what the Brewers will do with the slumping J.J. Hardy. 
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros have signed 22 of the players they drafted, including their second rounder, Tanner Bushue.
  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has a corresponding list for the Reds, who also signed their second rounder.

Heyman On Valentine, Strasburg, Atkins

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Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Nationals have already begun searching for a long-term manager, even though Manny Acta remains in charge. Here's what Heyman's hearing about a Nationals team that's been the center of attention recently:

  • The Nationals are considering Bobby Valentine, who has a history of transforming losing teams into winners. Valentine's managing the Chiba Lotte Marines now, but they're not expected to bring him back after the season ends in November.
  • Acting GM Mike Rizzo, is expected to become the full-time GM eventually.
  • One small-market GM said he would have been prepared to spend $15-20MM on Stephen Strasburg if the phenom has slipped to his team on draft day.  
  • Heyman says the record-setting bonus Strasburg will receive won't change bonuses as we know them because he's an exceptional player who can demand more than others.  
  • Now that Jake Peavy's hurt and the Padres won't be able to deal him soon, no-trade clauses seem less appealing to GMs. Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't hand them out, and he says it's never prevented him from signing a player.
  • It still doesn't look like Roy Oswalt will be dealt.  
  • The market for Brad Penny hasn't been great so far, but he could be more appealing to teams, without Peavy and Oswalt as options.
  • Garrett Atkins makes $7MM, so it's not likely he'll be traded, but the Rockies may decide they're buyers, rather than sellers, if they continue to win.
  • Jonathan Sanchez is on the market, but some scouts aren't impressed with his stuff.
  • The A's plan to build around their young pitching.  

Smoltz Hopes To Keep Pitching After 2009

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Pedro Martinez isn't the only future Hall of Fame pitcher who hopes to play after 2009. John Smoltz told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he wants to keep pitching after this season and expects to be able to now that he's recovered from a torn labrum. He said he can see himself pitching "well beyond" this year. 

"If I was going to have surgery and I can pitch one year, what prevents me from pitching two years," Smoltz asked.

For now, Smoltz is focused on his 2009 debut. He'll make at least $3.5MM this year before becoming a free agent after the season.

Olney On Wilson, Johan, Harper

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Red Sox could take advantage of the shortage of teams willing to take on payroll by offering little more than salary relief to their trading partners. Rival executives told Olney that the Red Sox could offer to take on the salary owed to players like Jack Wilson, without including any highly touted prospects in proposed deals. Here are a couple more details from Olney's column:

  • It's looking more and more like Bryce Harper will be eligible for next year's draft and it's looking more and more like the Nationals will again select first. Olney wonders how the Nationals would cope with talks of record-setting deals for two straight years.
  • Olney shows that Johan Santana is throwing slower fastballs, and not as many of them. 
  • Cause for concern? Jon Heyman of SI.com asked a Mets "bigwig" and heard that the team is "not at all" worried about their ace pitcher.

Odds And Ends: Peavy, Acta, Harper

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Some links for Monday morning…

Pirates, Red Sox Discussed Jack Wilson

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Going back at least a week, there has been word that the Red Sox inquired on Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more on those talks.

The short version: there does not appear to be a match.  Kovacevic says the Sox have done research on Wilson, but the Pirates seem to want more than Boston would give up.  The Pirates' beat writer implies that the unpopular Nate McLouth trade may cause the Pirates to tread lightly with Wilson.  Still, he says the Pirates have also had less intense trade talks with other clubs about their shortstop.

Kovacevic says nothing is cooking in terms of keeping Wilson in a Pirates uniform in 2010, whether in terms of an affordable extension or Wilson's $8.4MM club option.  Wilson still has $5MM coming to him on his current extension - $4.4MM of his '09 salary, plus a $600K buyout on the option.

As for the Red Sox, they're using Nick Green and Julio Lugo at shortstop while Jed Lowrie recovers from wrist surgery.  Lowrie will take live batting practice Monday as he aims for a late June/early July return.

Brad Penny Drawing Interest

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A major league source informed the Boston Globe's Nick Carfado Sunday that the Red Sox "have fielded multiple calls and some offers" for Brad Penny.  As Carfado writes,

So far the Red Sox, who feel they are dealing in a position of strength, haven't heard anything that would want to make them deal the right-hander even with a logjam in their starting rotation.  The source indicated the Sox like their depth situation and would need to be overwhelmed to make a deal.  While that scenario could take place as teams get more desperate to find pitching, the Red Sox feel they can hold off even it if creates tough decisions internally.

"I think they learned from the Bronson Arroyo situation that depth is fleeting," said the major league source.  "They won't make that mistake again."

Penny, a 31-year-old right-hander, is 5-2 this season with a 5.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 44/20 K/BB ratio.  This report jives with Jon Heyman's tweet from yesterday.  We discovered last week that the Phillies have some level of interest.

Morosi’s Latest: Orioles, Cardinals, Rangers

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FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi writes that with the Orioles buried in fifth place in the AL East, look for the team to start moving some of their veterans. Morosi cites an "industry executive" who says that several teams have called about Aubrey Huff and Luke Scott, both lefthanded bats with some thump. He suggests that the Reds, Tigers, Giants and Braves could match up in a deal, noting that the Tigers pursued both Huff and Scott three years ago.

Here's the rest of Morosi's rumors:

  • Triple-A outfielder Wilkin Ramirez is one of Detroit's best trade chips.
  • Morosi echoes reports that the Cardinals are looking for a bat.
  • One scout says that Miguel Tejada's defense has been better than most give him credit for. I can't imagine that will play a big role in determining his trade value, though.
  • Texas is looking for an upgrade for their rotation, and would likely be in on Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt if they are made available.
  • It's increasingly unlikely that the Red Sox will make a move for a shortstop with Nick Green holding his own and Jed Lowrie close to returning from a wrist injury.

Odd & Ends: Penny, Reds, Nationals, Buchholz

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The College World Series kicked off today, with Arkansas knocking off Cal State Fullerton in Game One of the double elimination event. Virginia is taking on LSU tonight. You can see the game on ESPN.

Anyway, here's some Saturday night linkage:

  • The Angels have signed nine draft picks, including 48th overall pick Tyler Kehrer according to Mike DiGiovanna.
  • Jon Heyman tweets that teams have called the Red Sox about Brad Penny, and even though the Dodgers are looking "they wouldn't take him back."
  • John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer spoke to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, who said he's looked outside the organization for help, but "there’s not a lot going on right now." Jocketty also said that the team is not looking for a third baseman, despite reports.
  • Chico Harlan of The Washington Post says that the Nationals signed righthander Trevor Holder, their third round pick, to a below slot bonus.
  • Rockies reliever Taylor Buchholz suffered a setback in his return from a right elbow injury according to Patrick Saunders, and could be out for the year. Could Buchholz's injury impact the Rockies' decision to move closer Huston Street if they maintain their current hot streak?
  • The New York Times' Joe Brescia wrote about the Yankees and how they've used Mexico as a source of talent recently.
  • Personal fave Chris Britton caught on with the independent York Revolution according to Jim Seip. The Padres released Britton last month after allowed 47 baserunners and had a 10.45 ERA in 20.2 IP between Double-A and Triple-A. (h/t Chad Jennings)

Donald To Have Surgery, Phils Lose A Trade Chip

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6:49pm: The Morning Call's article has been updated to say Donald will miss three to four weeks. which matches Zolecki's report. This would give the Phillies a few weeks before the deadline to showcase a healthy Donald.

5:42pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that Phillies' infield prospect Jason Donald will have surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Morning Call says that he could miss up to six weeks, which means he could be on the shelf until the trade deadline.

Donald was hitting just .230-.293-.324 in 226 plate appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, but he's considered one of Philadelphia's best prosects. Just last week we heard rumors of a Brad Penny for Donald swap, but any trade talks involving the 24-yr old shortstop will have to be put on hold now.

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