Draft Roundup: Pirates, Padres, Angels
A few draft links for Friday…
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked to Pirates GM Neal Huntington and president Frank Coonelly. Huntington said signability is not "a sole driving factor," while Coonelly talked about wanting to get players signed quickly. The Pirates seem to be leaning toward pitching with the #4 pick based on comments from scouting director Greg Smith. ESPN's Keith Law predicted the Pirates will take high school infielder Bobby Borchering, Baseball America went with college righty Kyle Gibson, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo picked Aaron Crow. Huntington said that the team's international dealings and the draft are "independent entities." In other words, they won't go cheap in the draft in order to sign Miguel Angel Sano.
- Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres are eyeing Dustin Ackley, Donovan Tate (Boras clients), high school righty Zach Wheeler, college lefty Mike Minor, and Crow at #3. BA predicted Grant Green (another Boras client), Law chose Crow, and Mayo went with Minor.
- The Angels have five picks in the first 48, according to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times. The Halos seem to be looking at prep players: Mike Trout, Everett Williams, Jiovanni Mier, and Tyler Skaggs.
- Rich Lederer of Baseball Analysts has a Q&A with Baseball America's Jim Callis.
- Callis talked to scouts about righties Crow and Tanner Scheppers.
Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants
Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy. The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros. The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider. The East Coast is a long shot. Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade. Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract. As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
- Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery. The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
- The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta. He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL. But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat. Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur. His trade value is difficult to gauge.
- The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
- The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled. Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee. Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.
Heyman On Adrian Gonzalez, Peavy, Sabathia
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman believes the Padres could bring in a haul for Adrian Gonzalez beyond what the Rangers received for Mark Teixeira. However, when asked if he's considering trading his slugging first baseman, Padres GM Kevin Towers responded, "Not at this point in time."
- The Cubs don't seem anxious to make a deal for Jake Peavy, and the Dodgers have the same-division hurdle. The Brewers might not have the pitching (or inclination) to get it done. Towers will continue to try to find a team Peavy likes while also matching the package offered by the White Sox: Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, and two minor league pitchers.
- Heyman says the Angels bid about $140MM for C.C. Sabathia last winter, making the Yankees' $161MM winning bid appear more appropriate.
Odds & Ends: Giles, Vlad, Bay
Links for your Memorial Day weekend…
- Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Giants should concede the division to the Dodgers and build for the future.
- Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle shows that Nolan Ryan's presence has strengthened the Rangers by making it easier for them to recruit the coaches and executives they need.
- As Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Brian Giles says he's "not even close" to being done. The right fielder's making $9MM this year and hitting .161 so far.
- Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Angels would like to have Vladimir Guerrero back next year, at the right price. One executive said Vlad could be looking at a contract worth $5-7MM per year, for no more than two years when he becomes a free agent after this season.
- As Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald notes, Jason Bay is "driving up his value almost daily." McAdam says there are indications the Red Sox could re-start extension talks during the All-Star Break.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks back at the deal that would have sent Andy Pettitte to the Phillies a decade ago.
- In an article for ESPN.com, John Perrotto argues that the Pirates have no one to blame but themselves for their futility.
Davidoff On Free Agents
Newsday's Ken Davidoff runs through six current free agents, digging up new information about a few.
- Paul Byrd never received a call from the Angels, so he'll continue to wait until later this summer to see what's available.
- Frank Thomas is working with hitting coach Mike Easler, who believes "Frank might give it to the All-Star break." Easler says another client of his, Jacque Jones, could help a club.
- Jim Edmonds would play in the right situation, but his agent Paul Cohen doesn't know if there will be an offer. Damion Easley, another Cohen client, would also like to continue his career.
- A friend of Orlando Hernandez's tells Davidoff he's considering a comeback. El Duque didn't pitch in the Majors last year.
- In my opinion, these free agents are better served playing independent league ball than working out privately.
Angels Sign Rudy Seanez
MONDAY, 11:08am: Ken Davidoff of Newsday wrote on Saturday that the Angels signed Seanez to a minor league deal.
THURSDAY, 3:18pm: According to Bill Shakin of the L.A. Times, Angels manager Mike Scioscia confirmed his club's interest in Seanez this afternoon, but admitted that a deal might not be finalized for a few weeks.
"Rudy's arm looks great," said Scioscia, just before adding that the 40-year-old is "going to need some time… It's not like you're going to see him here in a week or two." Look for him in early June.
7:41am: According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, the Angels are close to signing journeyman reliever Rudy Seanez to a minor league deal. Seanez, 40, posted a 3.53 ERA in 43.3 innings for the Phillies last year despite walking 5.2 per nine innings. The Angels' bullpen needs all the help it can get.
Back on March 23rd, Diamond Leung had an interesting blog post about Seanez. Check it out.
Stark On Pitchers, Vlad, Sabathia, Crawford
More from Jayson Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings column today…
- Stark rattles off a bunch of starting pitchers teams are "tracking" in advance of the trade deadline: Roy Halladay, Jake Peavy, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Aaron Harang, Erik Bedard, Kevin Millwood, Mark Buehrle, Doug Davis, Chris Young, Andy Pettitte, Bronson Arroyo, Jonathan Sanchez, Andy Sonnanstine, Jeff Niemann, Jason Marquis, Vicente Padilla, Jeff Suppan, and Russ Ortiz. Not all of these guys are actually available, so check out the article for more analysis.
- Teams are "backpedaling away" from Vladimir Guerrero as a free agent option after the season. One scout sees Vlad as a DH right now.
- C.C. Sabathia downplayed the importance of the out clause in his contract, talking to Stark. Sabathia said it was "just something my agent came up with, and I just went with it." Stark is skeptical though; he thinks the clause was specific to New York.
- Stark talked to a baseball man familiar with the Rays' thinking who sees "zero chance" they don't exercise Carl Crawford's $10.125MM option for 2010. The Rays have a three-year outlook on the budget.
- With Jason Isringhausen ready within a few weeks, the Rays may have a surplus in the bullpen. Stark doesn't expect Dan Wheeler or J.P. Howell to be moved, but teams are tracking them.
- Stark sees Jorge Cantu as a trade candidate after the season. He figures to make $5-6MM through arbitration.
2010 Options: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels do not have any 2010 options. Instead, they're faced with a slew of key free agent situations after the 2009 season:
- Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero played in eight games this year before hitting the DL for a torn pectoral muscle in his chest. He could return in late May. Vlad will be 35 when he begins his next contract. It's hard to envision more than two years, and even matching his '09 salary of $15MM would be questionable. Guerrero has had an incredible Angels career, but this might become a tricky situation.
- John Lackey. Lackey is also a tough one. He wanted A.J. Burnett money, but he'll make his season debut in mid to late May due to a forearm strain. If he finishes strong he'll still do well, but will it be with the Angels?
- Chone Figgins. Ken Rosenthal wrote about Figgins' future on April 29th.
- Bobby Abreu. Abreu is on a one-year deal with a $5MM base salary. He's hitting .363/.427/.418 in 103 plate appearances, with zero home runs and 11 steals. It's odd, but it works. Will Abreu be open to a similar one-year deal again?
- Kelvim Escobar. Escobar is looking at a possible June return from shoulder surgery. Maybe he has a few more 190 inning seasons left in his arm, or maybe he should market himself as a closer. Like Lackey, Escobar's second half will determine his price tag.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Teixeira, Ligtenberg
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority looks at the April offensive stat leaders.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America discussed Jim Bowden's Stephen Strasburg comments. Bowden says the Nationals' decision to draft Strasburg has been made, and predicts they'll sign him for around $15MM minutes before the deadline.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. talked to Nats interim GM Mike Rizzo about their revamped Latin American plan.
- Mark Teixeira talked to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times about his decision to sign with the Yankees.
- Brian Stensaas of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes about Kerry Ligtenberg, who is attempting a comeback with the St. Paul Saints.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci spoke with one GM who points to struggling older teams and says "it's better to be young these days."
- Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers are being patient with pitchers Ryan Perry and Rick Porcello.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock doesn't expect GM Kevin Towers to sit back and watch if the Padres continues to struggle.
- Here's Baseball America's list of the hottest prospects in the minors right now.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law scouts a pair of college players who could turn up on BA's list next year: Tim Wheeler and Drew Storen.
- Twins reliever Juan Morillo cleared waivers, so he'll head to Triple A according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Rosenthal On Figgins’ Future
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, discussing the future of Angels third baseman Chone Figgins. The versatile leadoff man is eligible for free agency after the season (perhaps a Type B). Rosenthal says the Halos, who have bigger issues in the free agency of John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero, "will balk at retaining Figgins for $10 million a season." Will Figgins find a Brian Roberts-like four-year, $40MM deal elsewhere?
Here's what Figgins had to say regarding free agency:
"I'm excited. I've talked to (Garret) Anderson about it before. I've talked to (Juan) Pierre. I've talked to Orlando Cabrera. They say, 'You've worked hard to get to this point. Leave it out on the field like you always do and see what happens.' It's an honor to get to that point. That means you've done well in the big leagues."