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Odds & Ends: Draft, Salazar, Meredith, Royals

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Some more links as we inch closer and closer to the July 31 trade deadline…

  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker suggests Major League Baseball should consider re-working its draft system.  Here's the gist of his idea:  "What I’d propose is a regulated amateur free agent system, in which the draft is discarded entirely. Every amateur player who meets the entry criteria (age, education, whatever) would be allowed to negotiate and sign with any team, regardless of national origin."  Check it out.
  • The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck gives his take on the Oscar Salazar-for-Cla Meredith swap:  "Oscar was the ultimate good soldier, waiting for his turn without complaint and performing very well as a spot player recently."
  • As Joe Posnanski points out, the Royals have won just 19 of their last 62 games. Just how bad is that mark? The Dodgers have never lost as many games in a 62-game stretch.
  • Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that the Indians signed Jairo Kelly, a switch-hitting Dominican shortstop.

Odds & Ends: Johnson, Redding, Lopez, Giants, Hillman

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Hope everyone's Sunday is going well! Here's some links for the afternoon…

  • Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald feels that the face of the Marlins' future is ace Josh Johnson. Gutierrez feels that the most critical move the Marlins need to make it locking up Johnson to a long-term deal. To quote Gutierrez: "If Hanley Ramirez was worth paying for, then Johnson is at least as important, if not more."
  • David Lennon of Newsday has Tim Redding's take on the possibility of being released: "I'm not an idiot. I've been around the game long enough to know what's going on, with the way I've been used." Redding, however, remains with the Mets despite a 7.22 ERA.
  • Felipe Lopez isn't thinking about the trade rumors surrounding him, according to Nick Piecoro. He's focused on helping Arizona. Piecoro says that the Brewers have expressed interest in the Arizona second basemen.
  • It's been a hard weekend for the Giants, as the team's largest shareholder, Sue Burns, died at the age of 58 just a week after learning that she had cancer. Rich Aurilia had some kind words about Burns: "Being here for a while, I've known her family for a long time. They're great people to be around and always treated everyone on the team like a part of their own family, which is nice. You don't get that a lot from a lot of teams and owners. This is a huge loss not only for the Giants but everybody who knew her." Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burns family, Giants organization, and Giants fans everywhere.
  • Royals general manager Dayton Moore has given Trey Hillman his vote of confidence, stating that despite the club's struggles, Hillman will remain with the Royals for both this season and next. Says Moore: "We're all in this thing together… You just can't keep reshuffling." The Royals have lost 42 of their last 61 games.

GM: Royals Won’t Trade Core Players

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The Royals aren't trading any of their core players this year, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. GM Dayton Moore said some players just aren't available.

"You're not going to see us unloading Gil Meche and Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria and Alex Gordon and Billy Butler," Moore said. "You're not going to see us doing that. You're just not."

Moore didn't say as much, but Dutton suggests the Royals are open to dealing David Dejesus and Mark Teahen. They need a center fielder and could negotiate a deal with injured outfielder Coco Crisp or look for one in a trade. They're not expected to pick up Crisp's $8MM option for 2010, but remain open to a new deal with him.

The Royals will likely rely on the trade market to revamp their team, since they don't have much MLB-ready talent in the minors and aren't expected to be big spenders this offseason.

Heyman On GMs, Mulder, Bay, Reds

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SI.com's Jon Heyman identifies the GMs facing the most pressure heading into the second half of the season and passes along some rumors, too:

  • Despite "occasional rumblings" about Omar Minaya's job security, injuries are to blame for the Mets' disappointing start, so Minaya's bosses aren't about to blame him for the season.
  • The Nats plan on hiring a permanent GM soon and acting GM Mike Rizzo is in the running for the position.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean saved one of his best showings for his walk year. He's put together a playoff contender and a talented crop of minor leaguers just as his deal's about to expire.  
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore and Braves GM Frank Wren are expected to have some time to work with.
  • It doesn't look like Indians GM Mark Shapiro will ascend to club president this year.
  • Heyman likes the Phillies' acquisition of Pedro Martinez.  
  • Mark Mulder could be the next pitcher to sign, as he's 95% ready, according to his agent. 
  • Heyman thinks the Red Sox will be able to lock Jason Bay up once they start talking extension. 
  • Look for the Reds to continue their hunt for outfielders. 

Odds And Ends: Sano, Gonzalez, Royals

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Here's some more reading material for the afternoon…

Odds & Ends: Church, Yuniesky, Pirates

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A few links for the afternoon as the All-Star Break approaches:

  • Ryan Church has no animosity or hard feelings towards the Mets organization. He says that he's appreciative of Omar Minaya and everything that he has done for Church over his career. He's also excited to be playing with Chipper Jones. Says Church:
"I grew up in the '90s as a big Braves fan. I'll never tell him, but he was my favorite player," he said. "It's cool now to be playing with him."
  • Joe Posnanski continues to lament the recent acquisition of Yuniesky Betancourt by the Royals, stating that either the numbers are right, or the Royals are right. Posnanski's bet seems to be on the numbers.
  • MLB.com's Jen Langosch has some notes on the Pirates, including an update on Ian Snell who allowed one run on seven hits through six innings in his most recent Triple-A start. That outing lowers Snell's ERA to 0.45 since being demoted. We've heard Snell's names in trade rumors this year, and he appears to be taking some strides toward re-establishing his value. Langosch also mentions the two international signings that Mike wrote about here yesterday, and I feel obligated to give my vote to Dovydas Neverauskas for having the coolest name in baseball.

Cafardo’s Latest: Jenks, Teahen, Wood, Mulder

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has some rumors from around the league. Let's sift through them.

  • The Dodgers, Brewers, and Phillies remain interested in Mark Mulder who is finishing his rehab and hopes to entertain offers in a week.
  • Cafardo speculates if former Royals GM Allard Baird will deliver Mark Teahen, a former player of his, to the Red Sox. Baird is currently assistant to the GM in Boston.
  • The Mets might be able to add about $5 to $6MM in payroll before the deadline.
  • Brandon Wood would have to be a part of the package for Roy Halladay if the Angels were to make a serious push.
  • There's a "good chance" Kenny Williams is looking into Halladay, says Cafardo. He wonders if Williams, who now has back-of-the-bullpen depth, would trade Bobby Jenks to shave payroll.
  • The Red Sox are confident with the pieces they have, even if obtaining Halladay might guarantee them a championship. Regardless, the Jays "would likely not want to deal Halladay within the division," says Cafardo.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Church, Francoeur, Betancourt

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Had enough of yesterday's trades yet? Good, because here are some reactions from around the blogosphere…

  • Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog says he's not sure the Ryan Church–Jeff Francoeur swap makes total sense, and he's not sure if the move will have an impact for either team.
  • Sam Page at Amazin' Avenue says that he's convinced the trade makes no sense, and all of the "talk about potential, shake-ups and athleticism is just noise."
  • Talking Chops' "gondeee" likes the Church pickup, even if it cost the once-face of the franchise. Admittedly, it's been a while since Francoeur was viewed in that light.
  • Jay Yencich at USS Mariner says the Mariners came out pretty good in the Yuniesky Betancourt deal, even if they had to send some cash Kansas City's way.
  • D.W. at Tangled Up In (Royal) Blue doesn't understand how the move fits into the big picture for the Royals.
  • Keith at The Royals Tower is taking a hiatus from blogging out of frustration caused by the deal.

Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Halladay, Managers

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A few more links for this morning…

  • Joe Posnanski chimes in with his thoughts on the Yuniesky Betancourt deal. As with all of J-Poz's stuff, it's a must read.
  • Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune says to keep an eye on the White Sox in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. He speculates that they could build a package around Gavin Floyd, but Gordon Beckham or Alexei Ramirez would be dealbreakers.
  • Even though it's worked for the Rockies this year, in-season managerial changes rarely work as MLB.com's Thomas Harding points out. 

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