Padres Rumors

Gammons’ Latest: Tate, Turner, Oliver

By Mike Axisa | August 17, 2009 at 9:32pm CDT

In his latest blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons says that there "are rumblings that the commissioner's office wants to hold off the announcement of some of the bigger deals so they do not impact others." He hears the following deals are done according to GMs:

Padres and first rounder Donovan Tate at $6.7MM, which had been done for five days
Tigers and first rounder Jacob Turner at $6.7MM
Tigers and second rounder Andy Oliver at $1MM

Gammons also says that the Giants and first rounder Zack Wheeler are close to a deal at $3.4MM, and that there are "conflicting reports" on Colorado signing Tyler Matzek and Texas signing Matt Purke, both first round picks. The Indians and Alex White are deadlocked, but the Tribe could go near $2MM.

Padres Sign Williams; Tate Is Now In San Diego

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 17, 2009 at 3:27pm CDT

The Padres signed their second rounder and appear to be making progress with their first rounder…

ESPN.com's Keith Law says the Padres signed second rounder Everett Williams to a deal worth $775k. Some teams considered taking Williams in the first round, but backed off because they feared his bonus demands. Now that he signed for less than $1MM, Law says those fears seem unfounded in hindsight. Williams projects as a top-of-the-order hitter who can play center field.
Jim Callis of Baseball America hears that first rounder Donavan Tate is in San Diego to take a physical. However, this doesn't mean the Padres will sign Tate, who they selected third overall in June.

Draft Updates: Jays, Rays, Mariners, Padres

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 17, 2009 at 11:35am CDT

Its' still quiet on the Stephen Strasburg front, but we have other draft updates with less than 12 hours remaining for teams to sign their picks.

Baseball America's Jim Callis says the Jays signed outfielder K.C. Hobson for $500k, more than three times what MLB recommends giving sixth rounders.
Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays will have to examine Levon Washington's shoulder carefully today, since the top pick is coming off surgery.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times imagines what would happen if the Mariners and Nationals both failed to sign their top picks this year.
Andy Marks of the Ocala Star-Banner reports that the Padres agreed to sign fourth rounder Keyvius Sampson for second round money, though the specifics of the deal aren't yet known.

Padres Confident About Signing Tate

By Nat Boyle | August 16, 2009 at 12:21pm CDT

Corey Brock at MLB.com says the Padres are confident they'll sign Donovan Tate, likely close to the midnight (eastern time) deadline tomorrow.

Yesterday, there was a report that the Padres had agreed to a deal for $6.5MM with their first round pick before Pads GM Kevin Towers said it wasn't "a done deal. Still working on it."

Brock notes that Tate is not the only pick that the Padres need to sign. Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson, their 2nd and 4th rounders respectively, remain unsigned. Williams, says Brock, could be tricky to sign since he was perceived as a first round pick that slid into the second round.

Gammons’ Latest: Greene, Angels, Strasburg

By Mike Axisa | August 15, 2009 at 9:29pm CDT

Peter Gammons has a new blog post up at ESPN, in which he writes about the wildcard races and what they mean for baseball. Bud Selig takes a lot of heat, but I don't think there's any arguing that the wildcard is one of his greatest achievements.

Anyway, Gammons drops a few rumor nuggets at the end of the piece, so let's round 'em up…

The Red Sox did not pursue Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene when he cleared waivers. Remember to check out out handy dandy list of players who have already cleared waivers.
The Angels are reportedly interested in Heath Bell, who was put on waivers yesterday. Several GMs "expressed doubt that the Padres would be able trade him." I, for one, think the Pads would have no problem moving him if they really wanted to.
One GM says the Angels "should take Francisco Cordero. The Reds will move him."
Gammons says that most baseball people think the Nationals will sign Stephen Strasburg "if negotiations with Scott Boras do not get contentious." He guesstimates that Strasburg could get $22MM for three years, which would allow him to go to arbitration for three years and land another big payday. Or three.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Nationals, Padres, Hardy, Smoltz

By Mike Axisa | August 15, 2009 at 6:23pm CDT

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dig in for some rumory goodness…

This coming week may the biggest week in Nationals' history. In addition to Monday's midnight deadline to sign first overall pick Stephen Strasburg, the Nats could pick their next general manager as early as Tuesday.
"The buzz in scouting circles" is that Diamondbacks executive Jerry DiPoto is the frontrunner for the job, but the team has given "absolutely no indication of its plans." Acting GM Mike Rizzo has "generally gotten good reviews."
The Padres put both Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell on trade waivers Friday. Both are likely to be claimed, but don't count on either getting traded. The team says that the Jake Peavy trade has greatly reduced the pressure on them to move either Gonzalez or Bell.
If either player is going to be moved, it would most likely happen in the offseason when the Padres could negotiate will all 29 other teams.
If shortstop J.J. Hardy stays in Triple-A for more than 20 days, he'll remain under the Brewers control for two more years instead of one. Such a move would enhance Hardy's trade value, and it would be tough for him to argue it's unfair given his lack of production this year. However, if service time was an issue, the club should have demoted him a lot sooner.
Marlins righty Anibal Sanchez was throwing 90-94 in his most recent rehab start, and his return would lessen the pressure on some of the team's other young starters.
The Marlins and Cardinals are among the teams looking at John Smoltz as a reliever. The Cards are also looking at a number of other righthanded options for their bullpen.

Rangers Looking For Catching

By Mike Axisa | August 15, 2009 at 5:48pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com is reporting that the Rangers have contacted several clubs in search of catching help, according to a major league source. Texas lost regular backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the disabled list when he left Friday's game with numbess in his right hand, and Rosenthal hears from a source that he may have a nerve issue.

Henry Blanco of the Padres could be one possibility, but Rosenthal says the "team is considering a number of other alternatives as well."

Padres Close To Deal With Top Pick?

By | August 15, 2009 at 4:39pm CDT

4:39pm: Brock says the $6.5MM mark "sounds about right from everyone I've talked to."

4:07pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock just spoke with Padres GM Kevin Towers, who offered this on the Tate rumors: "It's not a done deal. Still working on it."

3:36pm: Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has "reason to believe" the Padres have come to terms with first-round pick Donavan Tate for around $6.5MM. The speedy 18-year-old outfielder was selected third overall in June. He was offered a scholarship to play both football and baseball next year at the University of North Carolina, but it sounds like he will turn it down and begin his professional baseball career.

Tate, Boras Seeking $6.5MM Bonus

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 14, 2009 at 3:22pm CDT

Lars Tate tells Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his son Donavan Tate and agent Scott Boras seek a $6.5MM bonus from the Padres. The younger Tate can play football at North Carolina if he doesn't sign, but his father, who had a standout college football career, has doubts about a life in the NFL.

"You need to swing that Louisville Slugger," the elder Tate told his son. "The NFL is Not For Long. That's what it stands for. My knees hurt right now."

The Padres' draft pick recently left Tar Heels camp, leading some to assume that he's close to a major league deal. Tate and Boras have three and a half days to work out a deal with the Padres.

Odds And Ends: Hall, Tate, Trades

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 13, 2009 at 11:15am CDT

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