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Heyman On Mets, Trades, Billingsley

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman wonders why the Mets aren't giving Daniel Murphy a chance as their regular first baseman.  He names trade possibilities, in order of likelihood: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, Russell Branyan, Victor Martinez/Mark DeRosa, and Garrett Atkins.
  • Heyman names 22 players who might hit the trading block this summer, headed by Jake Peavy, Matt Holliday, and Erik Bedard.  The A's could potentially have a lot of veterans to spin off.
  • Heyman says "the Dodgers briefly tried to lock up Chad Billingsley this winter, and probably wish they had."  Billingsley will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, so his salary figures to jump up past $4MM.

Indians Fielding Offers For Mark DeRosa

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According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Indians are now fielding offers for infielder Mark DeRosa.  DeRosa, 34, is hitting .242/.312/.412 on the season in 170 plate appearances as the Tribe's third baseman.  He has about $4.15MM left on his contract.

Heyman says the Indians "are looking mainly for pitchers who can help them now."  Heyman believes DeRosa is below Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, and Russell Branyan on the Mets' wish list.  What other teams would make sense – the Braves, Cubs, Brewers, or Cardinals perhaps?  You can discuss it in the comments here, and also head over to our Facebook fan page and jump into that discussion.

Over at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes says Indians GM Mark Shapiro "is talking to general managers, but it's not about subtracting players in preparation for next year."

Gammons On Ackley, Red Sox, Relievers

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ESPN's Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.  Let's take a look.

  • Gammons writes in praise of North Carolina's Dustin Ackley, who is likely to be chosen by the Mariners at #2 in June.  Ackley may wind up at center field or second base.
  • The Red Sox don't appear willing to trade young pitchers like Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, and Nick Hagadone.  The Sox have looked at bats such as Colorado's Matt Murton and Ryan Spilborghs, but for now aren't desperate enough to trade pitching.  Gammons wonders if, for the right bat, Boston would part with Manny Delcarmen.  He believes Delcarmen could close in the NL.
  • Gammons says the Mets think they could have Carlos Delgado back by August if he has hip surgery, allowing them to stay in-house for his replacements.
  • The Dodgers, Indians, Yankees, and Twins are looking for relief help.  Gammon names Jose Valverde, Huston Street, Danys Baez, Russ Springer, and John Grabow as future trade candidates.

Draft Update: Giants, Mariners, Braves, Nats

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ESPN.com's Keith Law has an update on various teams and players as the June draft approaches. Here are some highlights; the original article has more detail.

  • The Giants are strongly considering taking a high school pitcher with their sixth overall pick.
  • Expect the Mariners to take Dustin Ackley, North Carolina's first baseman, with their first rounder.
  • Ackley's teammate, righty Alex White, pitched in front of four GMs Thursday: Brian Sabean (Giants), Neal Huntington (Pirates), Jack Zdurencik (Mariners) and Mike Rizzo (Nationals).
  • ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill reports that White did not impress. Check out Churchill's article for more analysis of some top amateur players.
  • The Braves are expected to take Zack Wheeler, a local prep star. 
  • The Nationals don't get a compensation pick if they fail to sign the player they draft with their tenth overall pick because that pick is itself compensation for failure to sign Aaron Crow last year. Nats GM Mike Rizzo says he's going to draft the best available player there, regardless of signability.
  • Some teams are losing interest in Kentucky lefty James Paxton, who chose Scott Boras as his advisor and pitched poorly afterwards.

Rosenthal On Royals, Atkins, Baez, Huff

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has trade speculation in the sidebar of his latest column.

  • Rosenthal sees shortstop Mike Aviles as the Royals' weakest link, given his .523 OPS in 97 plate appearances.  Most projection systems had Aviles in the .720-.750 range.  Rosenthal runs through potential trade targets such as Orlando Cabrera, Jack Wilson, Miguel Tejada, and Marco Scutaro.  The first three have their flaws, and Scutaro doesn't figure to be available.
  • Rosenthal suggests the Rockies could accomplish their goal of more playing time for Ian Stewart by trading Garrett Atkins.  However, Atkins is fairly pricey and is off to a .224/.287/.367 start through 108 plate appearances.
  • Orioles reliever Danys Baez is generating trade buzz with his 2.30 ERA through 15.6 innings.  Baez is still owed $4.55MM of his $5.5MM '09 salary, and he also gets a $500K bonus if traded.  So just moving the contract might be a feat for Andy MacPhail, in my opinion.
  • Aubrey Huff, with $6.62MM left on his contract, could eventually draw interest from teams like the Royals and Mariners, in Rosenthal's opinion.  Huff seems back to his pre-2008 level; he's hitting .270/.331/.423 in 124 plate appearances.

2010 Options: Seattle Mariners

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The Mariners do not have any 2010 options.  Instead, they're looking at the completion of the Adrian Beltre, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, and Erik Bedard contracts after '09 (among others).  Those four represent $40MM coming off the books.  However, it's also 40% of the starting rotation and the starting third baseman.

Assuming Jack Zduriencik does not want to tangle with Scott Boras over Beltre, he could consider 23 year-old prospect Matt Tuiasosopo for the hot corner.  Tuiasosopo just began his second Triple A stint, and it's not going well so far.  The Ms could explore the free agent market, which will include Joe Crede, Chone Figgins, Troy Glaus, and perhaps Melvin Mora.

The rotation should be interesting, especially with Brandon Morrow deciding his future is in the bullpen.  If the Ms go outside the organization for a veteran starter or two, I'm guessing they'll sign a bargain free agent or make a trade.

Rosenthal On Mariners, A’s, Putz

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • The Mariners and A's are not thinking about selling off veterans at the trade deadline.  Both clubs plan to go for it.
  • Tough decision for the Mets after the season: do they exercise J.J. Putz's $9.1MM option for 2010?  Cot's Baseball Contracts says it's an $8.6MM club option with a $1MM buyout.
  • Rosenthal says one GM views the recent DL trips for Dontrelle Willis, Chien-Ming Wang, and Daisuke Matsuzaka as possible abuse of the system.
  • Will Barry Zito continue to be decent this year?  His control and groundball rate have been much improved and his average fastball velocity is up by 1.6 mph.  The .250 BABIP doesn't figure to last though.  Zito is owed $87.5MM for 2009-13, plus he has an $18MM option for 2014 that may vest.

Mariners Sign Jerry Owens

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According to Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Mariners signed outfielder Jerry Owens to a minor league deal.  Owens was designated for assignment to make room for Scott Podsednik a few days ago.

Owens, 28, spent most of last year at Triple A (his third stint at the level).  He hit .276/.346/.316 with 30 steals in 43 tries.  In their 2007 Handbook, Baseball America had this to say about his defense: "He covers plenty of ground in center field, though his arm is below average."

Shell, M’s Agree To Minor League Deal

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Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that the Mariners have signed right-hander Steven Shell to a minor league contract.

Shell, 26, was designated for assignment last week by the Nationals after posting a 5.40 ERA in four games.  He was assigned to the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma and is likely to get the call if there's an injury on the major league level.
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