Angels Rumors

Draft Updates: Red Sox, Rays, Angels, Phillies

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 5, 2009 at 5:11pm CDT

Here's what five of last year's playoff teams plan to do with their draft choices…

MLB.com's Ian Browne says the Red Sox are happy to be selecting 28th because it means they were successful in the majors last year.
Like the Red Sox, the Rays pick late, but they're not used to it, having had the first overall pick the last two years. As MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports the Rays are considering 15 or 20 players with their 30th pick and there's some speculation they could go for a catcher.
The Cubs are focusing on doing well deep into the draft according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Their first pick will be the 31st overall.
The Phillies' first pick will come after 74 players have already been selected. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that they'd like to add more bats and left-handed pitching.
The Angels, on the other hand, have five of the first 48 picks. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer says they'd like to add some power at the corner infield and outfield positions. They're one of many teams interested in high school outfielder Everett Williams.

And some buzz surrounding the nation's top amateur players…

ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill hears that the Mariners may be intimidated by the demands Scott Boras will likely make for his client, Dustin Ackley. He's considered the best college hitter in the draft, but the Mariners are apparently not willing to offer more than $6MM to sign him. Aaron Crow could be an alternative for the Mariners.
ESPN.com's Keith Law believes it would be a mistake for the Padres to take Mike Minor with the third pick. Check the article out for more updates on some top talent.
In a separate piece Law tracks the improvements some players- Stephen Strasburg, for one- make between high school and college.

Draft Updates: Reds, Astros, Rangers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 4, 2009 at 5:07pm CDT

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.

Heyman On Contenders’ Needs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2009 at 1:21pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Dodgers would have to overpay for Jake Peavy, the Red Sox are going after bats and the Giants are "dangling" Jonathan Sanchez. Here are the details:

It's unlikely the White Sox could pry Cliff Lee away from the Indians.
The Brewers aren't sure whether they'll go after a hitter or a pitcher.
Heyman cites a source who says the Dodgers believe they'd have to pay "insanely" more than anyone else if they want to acquire Peavy. That's not much of a problem for the Dodgers, who are looking strong as-is.
The Red Sox are "aggressively seeking help," according to their competitors.
The best player they have a realistic shot at is Victor Martinez. If the Red Sox are going to deal for V-Mart, they'll likely have to part with young pitching.
Along with Nick Johnson and Aubrey Huff, Heyman says Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham are "possibilities" for the Red Sox.
Not surprisingly, the Mets would not deal Fernando Martinez for Matt Holliday.
The Giants are "dangling" Jonathan Sanchez.
The Cubs remain the favorites for Peavy, though they haven't called the Padres about him recently.
The Yankees, Angels and Rangers are looking for relief help.
One AL exec believes Erik Bedard would not adjust well to the attention if he's dealt to the Phillies.
And could George W. Bush team up with Nolan Ryan to re-purchase the Rangers?

Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Oswalt, Angels

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 1, 2009 at 9:43am CDT

Links to start the week off…

Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe suggests a few ways of improving the Red Sox. He says acquiring a catcher like Victor Martinez or Jarrod Saltalamacchia would set the team up for this year and beyond.
Think the Tigers are happy they parted with Matt Joyce to acquire Edwin Jackson? Aubrey Huff told the Detroit Free Press that Jackson and Justin Verlander are the best back-to-back starters he's seen in his nine-year career.
ESPN.com's Amy Nelson says (via Twitter) that Roy Oswalt's open to being traded but would like to remain in the NL.
Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times says the Angels are "believed to be exploring" trades to improve their 'pen.
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle argues that Astros GM Ed Wade "cut corners" when assembling his pitching staff.
Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu likes his current lineup, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.
ESPN.com's Keith Law says the two college pitchers who threw 129 and 169 pitches in a 25 inning game were exposed to injury unfairly.
Brian Joura counts down the worst #1 overall draft choices in baseball history on FantasyPros911.
And I'm thrilled to be stepping in for a bit here on MLBTR as Tim takes care of far more important things.

Draft Roundup: Pirates, Padres, Angels

By Tim Dierkes | May 29, 2009 at 8:59am CDT

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

By Tim Dierkes | May 28, 2009 at 2:28pm CDT

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

By Tim Dierkes | May 27, 2009 at 12:13pm CDT

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

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 23, 2009 at 10:00am CDT

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

By Tim Dierkes | May 20, 2009 at 4:45pm CDT

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

By Tim Dierkes | May 18, 2009 at 11:08am CDT

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.

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