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.
Astros Owner McLane On Young Talent
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle reports that Astros owner Drayton McLane says it's time to strengthen the franchise by commiting to "young talent." The Astros are a veteran team, in last place with a 23-29 record, so McLane says he wants to focus on building from the bottom up:
"We have to make a stronger investment and smarter picks in the draft. You've got to invest in young talent. To do that, you need patience, and that's hard for me."
McLane has tried to keep the Astros in contention every year and he says he hasn't given up on a 2009 comeback, but he understands reinvesting in youth won't necessarily lead to instant results.
"That doesn't always happen in baseball. We spend $4MM to $6MM in the draft every year, but we haven't always made good decisions."
McLane adds that he wants Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman to retire as Astros. Oswalt is not on the block and McLane says he'd try to talk either player out of requesting a trade if they ever approached him about a deal.
Draft Updates: Reds, Astros, Rangers
Some preferences, tendencies and opinions from around the majors as Tuesday's draft draws closer:
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds like Aaron Crow, but don't expect him to be available when they select eighth. Fay says "there's a good chance they'll take him" if he's available.
- Keith Law and Jason A. Churchill of ESPN.com break down the drafting tendencies of each MLB team. For example, the Braves like local high school players and the Mariners lean towards college talent.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says the Astros could go after pitching with the 21st pick, or maybe high schooler Everett Williams. One thing's for sure: the Astros aren't looking for a catcher after selecting Jason Castro last year.
- The Rangers have one of the strongest systems in the game in part because they've drafted well. Jamey Newberg looks at 20 top Rangers prospects in a report for MLB.com.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark argues "the most dysfunctional draft in professional sports" needs to put a cap on player bonuses.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Clay Daniel, the scout who oversaw the signing of players such as Ervin Santana, was fired. He was apparently dismissed because of the "improper activities" of some of the scouts he hired.
McLane: “Zero Discussion” About Trading Oswalt
According to Newsday's Ken Davidoff Astros owner Drayton McLane says there has been "absolutely zero discussion" about trading Roy Oswalt. McLane calls Oswalt a "cornerstone" of his team and says he values his "personal relationship" with the pitcher. McLane denies there's any truth to the speculation that Oswalt could be dealt.
"I am not sure where this rumor began, but it was untrue," he says.
Odds And Ends: Oswalt, Pirates, Glavine
More links for Thursday afternoon as we wait for Randy Johnson to take his first crack at the 300-win plateau …
- Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that Roy Oswalt doesn't expect to stick around long enough to win 300 games. Instead, he says he'll stop playing once he stops producing.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms the Pirates will shop Jack Wilson, Adam LaRoche and John Grabow.
- Keith Olbermann wonders if the Pirates improved in center field by callling up Andrew McCutchen. Three hits an RBI and a steal made for a nice MLB debut.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune wonders why the White Sox didn't trade for Nate McLouth.
- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that the Pirates say the McLouth deal wasn't financially motivated.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Tom Glavine's velocity has dipped noticeably, but laments the rough ending to the future Hall of Famer's Atlanta career.
- Remember to follow MLBTR on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook to join in and discuss phenom Bryce Harper.
Glavine Rumors: Red Sox, Dodgers, Nats, Mets
1:55pm: According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Astros GM Ed Wade says his team is not interested in Glavine. When asked whether Glavine could be a potential fit, Wade replied "probably not."
10:48am: Here are the latest Tom Glavine rumors…
- 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.
Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lohse, LaRussa
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: Peavy, Cards, Strasburg
More links for Tuesday…
- As David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News points out, the Phillies already have $94.5MM committed to next year's roster, so adding Jake Peavy would require good accounting or, perhaps more available money.
- Cardinals fans voted Mark DeRosa as the player they'd most like to acquire to play third in this poll on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's site.
- Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch suggests John Mozeliak "will almost certainly deal from his pitching depth" to obtain some infield help.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Jordan Schafer has been sent to the minors, as the Braves' outfield problems continue.
- The AP (via the Miami Herald) reports that Stephen Strasburg is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded to the top amateur player in America.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail is proud of the progress his team has made in the minors, according to Steve Melewski of MASN.com.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says he expects this to be the year that Roy Oswalt is dealt (via Twitter).
White Sox, Astros Not Discussing Oswalt Trade
According to Dave van Dyck of The Chicago Tribune, White Sox GM Kenny Williams squelched rumors of his team's interest in Roy Oswalt today, saying, "I haven't talked to the Houston Astros about any pitching whatsoever."
Speculation about a deal for Oswalt heated up when The Tribune's Mark Gonzales noted on Friday that White Sox special assistant Bill Scherrer was following the Astros. According to van Dyck, Williams said today that "he didn't even know Scherrer was there."
Yesterday, we heard that Oswalt would invoke his no trade clause if Chicago tried to acquire him. So unless both sides are playing things very close to the vest, it seems that we can put this rumor to rest.
Olney On Oswalt, White Sox, Phillies
ESPN.com's Buster Olney discussed the market for pitchers on ESPN Radio; here are some bullet points worth passing along:
- Teams believe they could deal for Roy Oswalt, it would just take a whole lot of talent to acquire the pitcher, who's a favorite of Astros owner Drayton McLane.
- Pitchers perceive U.S. Cellular Field as a bandbox, which makes it less attractive to them. This is a problem the Yankees could face if the new Yankee Stadium continues to be so hitter-friendly.
- Olney predicts the Phillies will trade for a starting pitcher "at some point."