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Pirates, Red Sox Discussed Jack Wilson

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Going back at least a week, there has been word that the Red Sox inquired on Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more on those talks.

The short version: there does not appear to be a match.  Kovacevic says the Sox have done research on Wilson, but the Pirates seem to want more than Boston would give up.  The Pirates' beat writer implies that the unpopular Nate McLouth trade may cause the Pirates to tread lightly with Wilson.  Still, he says the Pirates have also had less intense trade talks with other clubs about their shortstop.

Kovacevic says nothing is cooking in terms of keeping Wilson in a Pirates uniform in 2010, whether in terms of an affordable extension or Wilson's $8.4MM club option.  Wilson still has $5MM coming to him on his current extension - $4.4MM of his '09 salary, plus a $600K buyout on the option.

As for the Red Sox, they're using Nick Green and Julio Lugo at shortstop while Jed Lowrie recovers from wrist surgery.  Lowrie will take live batting practice Monday as he aims for a late June/early July return.

Yankees In On Sano?

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You've heard the name plenty around these parts over the past few weeks.  Miguel Angel Sano, a 16-year-old infield prospect from the Dominican Republic, has been linked to the Pirates, Indians, Orioles and Twins.  

Now it appears the Yankees have jumped into the bidding.  As ESPN The Magazine's Jorge Arangure reported through his Twitter account this afternoon, Brian Cashman and Co. believe they have a "50/50" chance of landing the phenom.  

It all comes down to dollars and cents, however, and the Yanks are actually practicing fiscal responsibility.  That may come as a surprise, but keep in mind that throwing millions of dollars at a kid who just hit the legal driving age is a monstrous gamble. The Pirates are reportedly preparing an offer around $4MM, and it doesn't sound like the Yankees are willing to go that high.  As Arangure continued in his "tweet," if the price was $3MM, "then yes."

Pirates, Twins Are Sano’s Top Suitors

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ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. hears that the Pirates may not offer Miguel Angel Sano as much as $3MM, let alone $4MM. The Pirates are still tracking Sano closely, and, along with the Twins, they're the frontrunners to sign the 16-year-old shortstop once July 2nd comes around. The Orioles recently worked Sano out, but they are not expected to beome serious bidders.

Here are some more rumors about the international free agent market:
  • Padres director of international scouting Randy Smith says he hopes to acquire one "big-name" international player.
  • Daniel Sanchez is a player to watch; Arangure says some consider him the year's best Latin American pitcher.  

Pirates To Sign Tony Sanchez

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates agreed to terms with their first round pick, Tony Sanchez, on a signing bonus of about $2.5MM. The fourth overall selection caught during his career at Boston College. The Pirates agreed to choose Sanchez before Tuesday's draft began.

He will report to extended Spring Training before beginning to play at Class A West Virginia.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Strasburg, Pedro, McLouth

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On this date 70 years ago, Lou Gehrig played his last game with the Yankees. Gehrig would retire with a career batting average of .340, 493 home runs and a 179 OPS+. For comparison, Albert Pujols has a career batting average of .334, 337 home runs and a 171 OPS+. More than a third of the way through the '09 season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Josh Q. Public takes a look at what Stephen Strasburg would have to accomplish statistically to justify a 6-year, $50MM contract.
  • Federal Baseball spoke with Lee Jenkins about Strasburg and Jenkins' research of dominant amateur pitchers.
  • Nationals Park wonders if the Nats can sign Strasburg.
  • Ladies… say that Strasburg is destined to break down.
  • Bareknucks makes the case that Strasburg will be the next Mark Prior and baseball's version of Tony Mandarich.
  • Fanhouse has a pool going on how much Strasburg will ultimately sign for.
  • MLB Notebook argues that Pedro Martinez makes sense for the Rays. 
  • Operation Shutdown makes a case that the Pirates did well in the Nate McLouth trade.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Stark On Rockies, Angels, Pierre

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In his latest article, Jayson Stark also discusses the many Rockies and Angels thought to be available. Here are the latest rumors:

  • The Phillies are "hunting quietly" for right-handed outfielders. Ryan Spilborghs is on their radar.   
  • One official said Dan O'Dowd would consider moving "anyone" on the Rockies.
  • The Rangers are believed to be watching Huston Street closely.  
  • Jason Marquis could become available too, but some think the Rockies should hang on, given his success. 
  • The Angels seem willing to listen on Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis and their entire infield, which consists of Kendry Morales, Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins.
  • They appear to have interest in young, high-upside pitchers, which could mean they're unsure they'll re-sign John Lackey after the season. 
  • The Dodgers are "sending out signals" that Juan Pierre could be available when Manny Ramirez returns. It's unclear whether the Dodgers would pick up any of the $15MM or so remaining on Pierre's contract.  
  • Among top starters, Erik Bedard is "most frequently connected with the Phillies," but many people around baseball doubt he would fit in Philadelphia.
  • Phillies prospects Lou Marson and Michael Taylor are likely available, but J.A. Happ, Antonio Bastardo, Dominic Brown, Kyle Drabek, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald and Carlos Carrasco would be much harder to acquire.
  • One scout thinks the Pirates may have acquired three future stars for Nate McLouth.   

Pirates Draft Roundup

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked GM Neal Huntington if Tony Sanchez had more upside and talent than the other players available when the Pirates picked fourth. Here are a couple of points Huntington made in his reply to Kovacevic:

  • "We did not take the player we felt had the highest upside on the board with the Sanchez selection, but we did select the player who was at the top of our board at the time."
  • Huntington says upside isn't everything, pointing out that it's risky to draft high school pitchers.
  • "If Stephen Strasburg or Dustin Ackley had slipped, we would have likely altered our approach to the draft and committed greater resources to either of them."

Instead, the Pirates plan to commit to a group of talented players, according to Pat Mitsch of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Huntington and his staff drafted 21 players who are demanding bonuses of $100k or more, and he expects to sign many by recruiting well and being "very aggressive."

The Pirates were criticized for taking Sanchez when they did, but, as MLB.com's Jen Langosch reports, draft expert Jonathan Mayo praised the Pirates' approach on day two.

Draft Day 2 Roundup: Mets, Indians, Red Sox

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Writers are rolling in the draft recaps. Let's see if we can't keep up with a few:

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