Draft Rumors: Pirates, Bundy, Royals, D’Backs
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo posted his first mock draft today, and within it he provides some info about what players are being targeted by what teams…
- The Pirates are still looking at Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Danny Hultzen, Dylan Bundy, Bubba Starling, and perhaps even Archie Bradley.
- Most believe that Bundy wants to turn pro despite his reported six-year, $30MM contract demand.
- The Royals continue to look hard at college arms, but "there's a lot of chatter" about Starling, a semi-local kid.
- The Diamondbacks will get a "bounty of college pitching" with the third and seventh overall picks.
- The Cubs would love Starling if he is still on the board when their ninth overall pick comes around.
- It's unclear if the Astros are leaning towards a college or high school player, but Texas native Taylor Jungmann could be too good for them to pass up at pick number 11.
Quick Hits: Okajima, Friedman, Millwood, Red Sox
Some Thursday night Quick Hits..
- Boston DFA'd Hideki Okajima tonight in order to clear a roster spot for Franklin Morales but GM Theo Epstein told WEEI's Alex Speier that he's hopeful that he'll fall through waivers if he's unable to find a trade partner for him.
- If Rays GM and Houston native Andrew Friedman is offered the Astros' GM job, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video) says that he should stay put. While the Rays obviously don't have deep pockets, he points out that they have a tremendous farm system and a ton of draft picks this June. Meanwhile, Houston's farm system is barren and it will take them quite some time to bolster their big league roster. Rosenthal advises the young executive to instead wait for a job opening that could allow him to win right away.
- Speaking of Friedman, the Rays were trying to obtain Morales before the Red Sox landed him,tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- A scout told Abraham (via Twitter) that what Kevin Millwood exhibited in the minors for the Yankees "won't translate to majors very well." Millwood signed with the Red Sox earlier tonight.
- The Millwood signing reflects the Red Sox's concerns over pitching depth, tweets Rosenthal. Coincidentally, Josh Beckett exited tonight's game against the Tigers with neck tightness, though the team said it was for precautionary reasons.
NL Central Notes: Rendon, Astros, Green
The Cardinals and Reds sit atop the NL Central standings thanks to the two highest-scoring offenses in the National League. Even without vintage Albert Pujols, the Cards lead the league in runs (227) and OPS+ (120). Here's the latest on a few of their division rivals…
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington saw possible first overall selection Anthony Rendon three times last week, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Pirates are considering a handful of players with the top pick.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs examines Charlie Morton's unusual platoon splits and says the Pirates right-hander will have to adjust his approach against left-handed hitters if he wants to maintain his early-season success.
- When incoming Astros owner Jim Crane talks about spending wisely and having enough money to run the team effectively, it sounds good, but as Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle says, “nothing really matters except results.”
- Sean Green accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A and will stay with the Brewers organization, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). Milwaukee designated the reliever for assignment earlier in the month.
Quick Hits: D’Backs, Young, Astros
Links for Wednesday night after a pair of vintage performances from two former Cy Young Award winners who are on the way back from injuries: Bartolo Colon and Jake Peavy…
- D'Backs manager Kirk Gibson told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the organization is considering internal and external candidates to start Saturday (Twitter link). Piecoro suggests the D'Backs could cut Josh Wilson to create roster space.
- As Piecoro notes, former Padres GM Kevin Towers has infused the D'Backs' bench with lots of San Diego flavor. Wilson, Sean Burroughs, Xavier Nady, Henry Blanco and Russell Branyan have all played for the Padres (Twitter link).
- Michael Young told Jim Rome that he was pleased to pick up ten and five rights because the rights reflect extended MLB service (video at ESPNDallas.com). Young, the subject of many an offseason trade rumor, says he isn't worried about deals. That makes sense, since he now has the power to veto any move the Rangers propose.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner that he's encouraged by the organization's minor league prospects, though some are "still on the far horizon." Wade says he doesn't anticipate that the team’s upcoming ownership transfer will affect his staff’s approach to the upcoming draft.
Astros Links: Crane, Draft
The Astros are in the midst of a lost season; about a month ago I looked at the players they could move if they become trade deadline sellers. That storyline may heat up in July, but right now it's all about Jim Crane's purchase of the club. Today's links:
- Crane will be in the draft room with Astros management for the June 6th draft, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. However, Crane's purchase won't be approved by MLB by then, so he'll just be observing Ed Wade, Bobby Heck, and company. The Astros have the 11th overall pick in the draft.
- The Astros have to be smarter, explains Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
- In a column for MLB.com, former Astros manager Larry Dierker opines that Crane will have a "pretty good head start" on building the Astros from the ground up.
Quick Hits: Colvin, Olsen, Lackey, Astros
On this date 15 years ago, Sammy Sosa became the first Cub to homer twice in one inning. Here's the latest from around the league, including a note on a less productive Cubs bat…
- The Cubs optioned Tyler Colvin to the minors after today's game and GM Jim Hendry told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he wants the outfielder to get regular playing time in Triple-A. As Hendry says, MLB teams are in the "production business."
- Scott Olsen made about $108K with the Pirates before they released him, according to Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
- John Lackey's DL stint probably won't affect Boston's 2015 option for the right-hander, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Though the option will be worth the MLB minimum if Lackey misses extended time because of a right elbow injury that existed before he signed with the Red Sox, he'd have to miss the rest of the season for the option to be affected, according to Bradford.
- Brian McTaggart of MLB.com looks back at Drayton McLane's 19 years of ownership in Houston. McLane has agreed to sell the Astros to Jim Crane; for details on the sale and how it could impact the franchise, click here.
Astros Notes: Crane, Smith, Wade
Longtime owner Drayton McLane has agreed to sell the Astros to a group led by Houston businessman Jim Crane. Both McLane and Crane addressed the media today, though the sale hasn't been approved by MLB owners. Here's the latest:
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle guesses that president of business operations Pam Gardner and president of baseball operations Tal Smith, two of McLane’s most trusted advisors, “will be fired within six months.”
- Justice says he doesn’t know if Rays exec and Houston native Andrew Friedman will want to come home and run the Astros, but he points out that the opportunity could very well arise. If Friedman stays put, the Astros will likely pursue an assistant general manager “out of the same mold.”
- Crane says the Astros "will try to be smart and spend money wisely,” according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). “It starts with the draft," Crane said. "We need to make sure we're building a team for the future."
- GM Ed Wade introduced himself to Crane after today’s press conference, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner (Twitter links). Wade had never met Crane before.
- Wade told Goff that if the sale is approved on time, it could have a “major effect” on the Astros’ approach to trades this July.
Rosenthal On Chapman, Braves, Rockies, Norris
Aroldis Chapman went on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation today, after Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on the Reds’ options for proceeding with the struggling Cuban left-hander. Here’s the latest on Chapman plus notes from around the league:
- A veteran scout insists that the Reds need to demote Chapman and make him a starter, but pitching coach Bryan Price isn’t so sure that a demotion is the way to go. He points out that Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson took time to develop. “Both struggled with command until they got enough work to figure out how their body works, how to put their hand in the right position to throw quality strikes,” Price said.
- The Braves would ideally add a leadoff hitter and put Martin Prado second in the order, according to Rosenthal. He suggests the Braves could target leadoff options Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Denard Span or David DeJesus via trade or free agency after the season.
- The Rockies appear to be concerned about losing out of options relievers Felipe Paulino and Franklin Morales to waivers.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says Bud Norris has become a much more mature pitcher. The 26-year-old right-hander has 60 strikeouts in 50 innings this year.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Inglett, Broderick
Saturday evening linkage…
- Frank McCourt told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers' roster would look the same even if the team didn't have financial problems. He was also vague about future payroll plans if the multi-billion dollar deal with FOX were to be approved (Twitter link).
- B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com points out that the Cardinals will have to make room for Brian Tallet when the lefty comes off the disabled list next week (Twitter links). He doesn't think they'll cut ties with the struggling Ryan Franklin, but he says it's "debatable."
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that Joe Inglett has accepted his outright assignment and will join the Astros' Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Inglett could have elected free agency after clearing waivers earlier in the week.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believes that pitcher Brian Broderick has a bright future in the big leagues, despite being DFA'd by the club earlier today, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Manager Dusty Baker is curious to see if the newly activated Jose Arredondo can provide the Reds with the kind of pitching they expected upon signing him.
- Dave Gershman of Beyond The Box Score examined the market for Padres pitcher Dustin Moseley.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Astros, Twins, Braves
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count Video up, so let's recap…
- Hunter Pence is getting expensive – he'll earn $6.9MM this year with two more arbitration years ahead of him – but Astros GM Ed Wade said that he wants to build around his young players, namely Pence, Brett Wallace, J.A. Happ, and Bud Norris. As much as they need to rebuild, it's unlikely that new owner Jim Crane will want to blow up the nucleus as his first act.
- If things don't turn around for the Twins, this could be the year that they become sellers. Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Jim Thome, Matt Capps, and Joe Nathan are all among the team's upcoming free agents, though some in the organization would like to see them re-sign Capps.
- The Braves' starting pitching depth could give them an advantage at the trade deadline. They could move a veteran like Derek Lowe or a younger starter because they have more arms on the way. Lowe is the perfect piece to dangle to a contender such as the Yankees, but Atlanta doesn't have an obvious need right now.
- Starting pitching depth is the Red Sox's one glaring weakness, and Rosenthal says an injury to one of their top five starters would leave the team "seriously unsettled."