Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Cabrera, Waivers
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority asks: who is the next Carlos Quentin?
- The Cubs may trade or lose whoever doesn't win their backup catcher job, Paul Bako or Koyie Hill (according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times). By the way, Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker says the Cubs signed a Korean high school outfielder named Don-Yeop Kim.
- Hanley Ramirez was upset about the Marlins' new hair and jewelry policies, but cooled down after meeting with the team's brass.
- Excellent Stephen Strasburg profile by Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated (hat tip to Rob Neyer).
- Rays Index talked to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Murray Chass believes suggestions of hostility between the players union and owners are misguided.
- A's shortstop Orlando Cabrera talked to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle about how his reputation unfairly took a hit last year.
- Bart Given explains the four types of waivers.
Odds & Ends: Clement, Schilling, Strasburg
Links for Tuesday…
- RotoAuthority examines A's starter Trevor Cahill from a fantasy baseball perspective.
- Today's chat has been pushed to Wednesday at 2pm CST.
- The Blue Jays demoted Matt Clement, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. Clement is trying to decide whether to accept the assignment. He allowed 11 runs and 12 walks in 10.3 spring innings.
- WEEI's Alex Speier looks back at the shockingly low price in prospects the Red Sox paid to acquire Curt Schilling from Arizona. The D'Backs were eyeing players such as Jon Lester, Hanley Ramirez, and Kelly Shoppach, but didn't make any of them a requirement.
- Tyler Bleszinski of Athletics Nation has part 2 of his interview with A's GM Billy Beane. Beane notes his great relationship with Scott Boras.
- I spoke to Tyler Hissey and Doug Gray of Minor League Notebook Weekly yesterday.
- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post says the Nationals should not draft Stephen Strasburg unless he'll sign in the $9-10MM range of David Price and Mark Prior. ESPN's Rob Neyer explains that many can't-miss pitchers did indeed miss.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle talked to Giants lefty Jack Taschner about the possibility of being traded.
- Bart Given of Inside the Majors says the Blue Jays should keep Travis Snider at Triple A until May 15th so that they'll control him for the 2015 season.
Odds & Ends: Gregerson, Hanley, Strasburg
Links for Monday…
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the minor league transactions, including the Dodgers' signing of J.D Durbin.
- Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune says Rays Rule 5 pick Derek Rodriguez, a reliever, has been returned to the White Sox.
- Yahoo's David Brown talked to Carlos Pena about many topics, including his agent Scott Boras.
- According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Padres received pitcher Luke Gregerson as the player to be named later in the Khalil Greene deal. The other player the Padres received, the now-injured Mark Worrell, was also a minor league closer. Given the state of the Padres' pen, Gregerson could reach the Majors this year. UPDATE: Here is Paul DePodesta's take on Gregerson.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick noted yesterday that the Dodgers cut pitcher Shawn Estes, and he's yet to decide whether to accept a Triple A assignment. UPDATE: Estes will head to the minors and attempt to reinvent himself as a lefthanded specialist.
- Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald quizzed Hanley Ramirez about Boston's attempt to reacquire him in November.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wonders about Frank Catalanotto's future. Useful player, but the Rangers would have to eat most of his $6MM to move him.
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post talked to Nationals president Stan Kasten about the six-year, $50MM Stephen Strasburg rumor. We all know how Boras works…if he wants $25MM for Strasburg, he starts at $50MM.
- South Side Sox and Sox Machine comment on the Gavin Floyd extension, as well as the offers to John Danks and Carlos Quentin.
- Talking to David Lennon of Newsday, Tom Glavine responded to Pedro Martinez's distaste for signing a "Glavine-like" contract.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun spoke to Aubrey Huff, who "doesn't even understand the concept of a contract push."
- Ivan Rodriguez explained to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez why he didn't sign with the Marlins.
Stephen Strasburg Price Tag
ESPN.com's Peter Gammons heard from some club officials that top amateur pitcher Stephen Strasburg and his agent, Scott Boras, could demand $50MM over six years if he's selected first overall by the Nationals in the June draft. If the Nationals pick Strasburg and seem unwilling to pay him as much as he wants, Boras could threaten to send the prospect to pitch in Japan for a year. If the Nats are scared off, the Mariners and Padres are next in line for Strasburg.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Pedro, A’s, Padres
Links for Wednesday…
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail doesn’t seem interested, but Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun quizzed various players on the team about the possibility of signing Pedro Martinez.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone says Pedro was hitting 92 yesterday and his fastball had the old-school tail on it.
- The AP reports that MLB is investigating the ages of 42 Dominican prospects.
- RotoAuthority names 20 undervalued hitters for 2009 fantasy drafts.
- Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo spoke highly of Stephen Strasburg, talking to Ben Goessling of the Washington Times.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney learned that the A’s are open-minded to Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, and/or Vin Mazzaro cracking the Opening Day rotation. Jerry Crasnick has more on Oakland’s next Big Three.
- Olney also says the Padres will be "scouring the earth for pitching" over the next few weeks. This jives with Tom Krasovic’s recent article.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Lester, Pudge
Links for Monday…
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who said the Yankees have yet to contact him regarding their possible third base need.
- ESPN’s Rob Neyer says the Mets don’t need Pedro Martinez.
- The scouts Buster Olney talked to absolutely adore Stephen Strasburg. One of them said, "Right now, he’s better than A.J. Burnett." There’s no way the Nationals can pass on a talent like this.
- WEEI’s Alex Speier compares Jon Lester‘s record-breaking contract to others given to young pitchers.
- Jim Baumbach of Newsday talked to Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, who promoted Ivan Rodriguez and noted that assistant GM Tony Bernazard observed the catcher’s four-hit, two home run performance in Puerto Rico Saturday.
- ESPN’s Peter Gammons notes the affordability of Boston’s pitching staff.
Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees
Some Odds and Ends around the league:
- In a good piece by Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, Nats GM Jim Bowden says Stephen Strasburg is "as good a pitcher as we’ve seen in the draft in 10 or 15 years." He could be in the rotation as soon as September. Amusingly, Strasburg’s mother described Scott Boras, who is advising the phenom, as a "Rottweiler."
- WEEI’s Alex Speier lists the Red Sox 19 non-roster invitees. 13 of them have Major League experience. Brad Wilkerson is also expected to be present.
- David Lennon of Newsday.com reports that Omar Minaya has achieved his offseason goals. "The reality is that we’ve pretty much filled all our priorities," Minaya said. "I’m set to go with this team."
- Phil Rogers touches on the absence of interest in Frank Thomas who is not working out while he’s out of camp. Rogers notes the Players Association needs to organize a spring training camp for out-of-work players. He suggests the White Sox abandoned Tucson complex.
Stephen Strasburg & Alex Meyer Interviewed
Stephen Strasburg and Alex Meyer were interviewed by Eric SanInocencio on his live radio talk show, Baseball Digest Daily Live. Head over there and click the play button.
For those unfamiliar with Strasburg, he is a power-righty from San Diego State and the odds on favorite to go first overall in next years draft. He was the only collegiate player to play in the Beijing Olympic games where he allowed only 1 hit and struck out 11 in his first 7 innings against professional hitters. He describes himself as a fastball-slider pitcher with an added sinker. He is working on a changeup and is a big fan of Josh Beckett’s approach to hitters.
On the show, Strasburg discusses the upcoming draft. While the Washington Nationals are expected to pick him first overall, he isn’t concerned with being the first player off the board. His head coach, Tony Gwynn, has fed him advice on how to handle the pressure of being a top draft pick during the season. Stras seems to have a very level head and gives all the right answers.
Right handed pitcher Alex Meyer, ranked the #5 prospect in all of high school baseball by Baseball America, was drafted by the Red Sox last year but had his mind set on going to the University of Kentucky. On the show, he discussed his experience with the Sox as they tried to sign him.
Meyer heard first from his advisors that he had been selected. Three weeks before the signing deadline, Theo Epstein and others flew out to talk to Meyer. On signing deadline day, Sox Assistant GM Jed Hoyer and Vice President of Player Personnel Ben Cherington showed up unannounced on his front porch. Hoping to sit down and convince him to sign with the team, they were turned away by Meyer and his dad. They returned twenty minutes later for another attempt only to be told that Meyer wanted to go to Kentucky.
Nationals Still Targeting Strasburg
In a Saturday article, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune explained how the Padres would like to bring righty Stephen Strasburg home with the #3 pick in the June draft. He wonders if the Padres could flash enough cash for Scott Boras to "steer Strasburg past the Nationals and Mariners."
Not to worry, Nationals fans. Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post says Strasburg remains atop the Nats’ list by a wide margin. Barring a major injury, the Nationals will draft Strasburg. As it usually is with Boras and most early draft picks, signability is a concern. However, Sheinin says the Nationals’ relationship with Boras improved with the Mark Teixeira negotiations.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Votto, Manny, Montero
A handful of Odds and Ends from around the bigs:
- The Brewers declined to offer a contract to any of the former players that attended their tryout camp last Tuesday in Phoenix, says Tom Haudricourt. Among the auditioning were Mark Bellhorn, Randall Simon, and Robert Fick.
- Mariners new GM Jack Zduriencik may find his patience will pay off as bargains begin to emerge in the free agent market, says Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
- Bill Madden of the NY Daily News breaks down the Manny Ramirez market, team by team, including notes on the Dodgers, Mets, Giants, Angels, Yankees, Nats, and Tigers. He notes that if the Yankees failed to land Mark Teixeira, they "were ready to go at least two years and an option for Manny." Madden expects to hear the word "collusion" any day now.
- According to Tom Krasovic, the Padres have a chance at drafting Stephen Strasburg, a San Diego native, in the 2009 draft if the Mariners and Nationals pass on the pitcher.
- Nick Piecoro of azcentral.com says the Diamondbacks are not budging on their price for Miguel Montero: "a legit impact player, like a solid starting pitcher or an everyday bat." The Red Sox remain interested, but Piecoro writes,
"It’s possible the Red Sox are using Montero as leverage to drive down [Jason] Varitek’s cost or get the Rangers to cave on their asking price for Jarred Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden."
- "No chance," says GM Walt Jocketty that Joey Votto will be traded, according to John Fay of the Cincinatti Enquirer.