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Cafardo On Garza, Lowrie, Greinke, Red Sox, Liriano

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The rest of the baseball world is waiting for the Yankees to get old, but so far that hasn't happened, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  "They’ve been saying that ever since I’ve been around," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "They said it after 2001. They said it after we were reshuffling in 2003, and in 2004, my therapist said I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. After 2009, we can’t be winning with older guys…So I’ve always heard it. As long as we’re winning, people can keep saying it."  Here's more from today's column..

  • About six teams have been in contact with the Cubs consistently regarding Matt Garza: the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Jays, and Royals.  Epstein is looking for a great package to part with Garza as he is the club's biggest chip.  However, teams have some concern over whether the pitcher can control his emotions.
  • The Tigers could be heavily in the mix for Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie and Detroit would likely move him to second to fill a need.  Cafardo wouldn't be shocked if he is on the Phillies’ radar as well. Houston has a few other chips in Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Wandy Rodriguez that could help contenders.
  • When teams ask about Zack Greinke's availability, they are getting "not yet" from the Brewers.  However, Cafardo writes that he'll be available as soon as they get the right offer because there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Milwaukee signing him long-term. 
  • There has been a lot of talk about Scott Podsednik being used as a trade chip but Cody Ross and Daniel Nava could also be made available by the Red Sox.
  • Francisco Liriano's recent pitching has made him a viable trade chip for the Twins.  It would still be hard for a contender to trust him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved.
  • A National League talent evaluator thinks the Mets should give some thought to trading R.A. Dickey while his value is skyhigh.  The Mets don't have the money to make the deadline upgrades that they need, so they could instead continue with their three- or four-year plan by making the right-hander available.

Cardinals Sign Wisdom, Bean

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June 17th: Bean received a $700K bonus from the Cardinals, more than $170K under MLB's recommendation, reports Callis.

June 9th: Wisdom signed for $693K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. The Cardinals save approximately $277K of draft pool money with the below slot deal.

June 7th: The Cardinals have agreed to terms with supplementary first round selection Patrick Wisdom, scouting director Dan Kantrovitz told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wisdom is represented by Adam Karon and Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Sports. Steve Bean, another one of the Cardinals' supplementary first round selections, is also nearing an agreement with the team.

The Cardinals selected Wisdom with the 52nd overall pick, which they obtained as compensation for losing Octavio Dotel. They selected Bean with the 59th overall pick, which they obtained as compensation for losing Edwin Jackson. MLB recommends a bonus of $970K for the 52nd selection and a bonus of $870K for the 59th selection, according to Baseball America.

Mike Axisa and Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Cardinals To Sign Stephen Piscotty

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The Cardinals‬ will sign supplementary first-round pick Stephen Piscotty to a contract within the hour, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).  The 36th overall pick will receive a $1.4MM bonus, right in line with the recommended value for that selection.

The Stanford product will report to the Cardinals' Quad Cities affiliate where he will be the starter at third base, Goold tweets.  Piscotty has shown the ability to hit for average but many scouting reports note that his power potential isn't on the same level.

Cardinals Sign Michael Wacha

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The Cardinals officially signed first-round draft pick Michael Wacha to a contract today.  Terms weren't announced, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported (on Twitter) that Wacha received a $1.9MM bonus, which matches MLB's recommendation for the 19th overall draft selection.  Wacha himself tweeted that he was flying to St. Louis for his physical on Wednesday. 

The Texas A&M right-hander was touted by Baseball America as one of the year's top draft-eligible college pitchers. Wacha's repertoire includes the best changeup in the draft and a fastball that sits in the 90-93 mph range, according to the publication.

Cardinals Agree To Sign Carson Kelly

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The Cardinals have agreed to sign second-round pick Carson Kelly to a $1.6MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter link).  Kelly's bonus is almost triple the recommended $574.3K bonus for the 86th overall pick and, as Callis notes, is the highest any team has gone over a slot price to sign a pick from this year's draft crop.  Kelly will take his physical in St. Louis tomorrow, tweets B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest.

Kelly, a high schooler who had committed to the University of Oregon, is regarded as both a third baseman and as a right-handed pitching prospect.  The Cardinals indicated they will develop Kelly as a third baseman, as noted by MLB.com's Mike Still in his profile of Kelly following the draft.

Quick Hits: Peter Bourjos, Cardinals Draft, Jim Crane

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The Nationals are 12 games over .500 for the first time since July 23, 2005 after sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend. The 2005 Washington squad would go on to finish the season 81-81 with a starting lineup featuring the bats of Vinny Castilla and Brad Wilkerson. Here's the latest odds and ends from around the league…

  • The emergence of rookie Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo's increased presence in the outfield has cost Peter Bourjos significant playing time, but that doesn't mean the Angels center fielder is in danger of losing his spot on the roster or being traded, writes Trey Scott of MLB.com. Count manager Mike Scioscia among Bourjos' supporters as he believes the second-generation big leaguer can aid the team even while playing in a limited capacity. "It's difficult for a young player that has the ability to play every day but isn't in there," Scioscia said. "But Peter is going to help us win games."
  • The starting point for recently signed draft picks in the Cardinals organization is less about potential and more about current ability, says Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While not all of the 44 players drafted by the Cardinals will ultimately sign with the franchise, the ones who do will begin their careers across three Class-A short-season affiliates. It's not unheard of for a top pick to make it to a full-season club in his first year like Kolten Wong in 2011, but the likelihood of doing so stems from how quickly the player signs his contract after being drafted.
  • The subtle, confident nature of new Astros owner Jim Crane should prove to benefit both his franchise and the city of Houston, contends Chris Baldwin of CultureMap Houston. Crane's decision to hire Jeff Luhnow as the Astros' general manager has paid immediate dividends as the team signed first overall pick Carlos Correa for $2.4MM below slot value, giving them a stronger chance to sign Lance McCullers, selected 41st overall. The decision to draft Correa was a surprise to many and speaks to the organization's belief system in which the Astros will take calculated risks that are swiftly executed once a decision is reached. 

Draft Signings: Mathisen, Maxwell, Cardinals

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Here are Saturday's notable non-first round draft pick signings…

  • The Pirates have agreed to sign second rounder Wyatt Mathisen according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Sulia). Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects first reported the agreement. The high school catcher from Texas was the 69th overall pick, which carries a slot value of $746K.
  • The Athletics have signed second rounder Bruce Maxwell for a below slot $770K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The college bat was slotted for $831K.  Maxwell is represented by Matt Sosnick and Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
  • In addition to first rounder Stryker Trahan, the Diamondbacks announced that they've agreed to terms with 30 other draft picks. Second rounder Jose Munoz and third rounder Jake Barrett highlight the crop. The Arizona Republic has the full list.
  • Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (on Twitter) that the D'Backs gave ninth rounder Jeff Gibbs a $90K bonus plus college tuition. Callis reports (on Twitter) that they gave fourth rounder Charles Taylor a $250K bonus. Slot money for those two picks is $125K and $286K, respectively.
  • The Cardinals have signed third rounder Tim Cooney for a straight slot $404K bonus, reports Callis (on Twitter). The left-hander hails from Wake Forest.
  • The Mariners have agreed to terms with fourth rounder Patrick Kivlehan, reports MLB.com's Josh Liebeskind. Slot money for the Rutgers third baseman is $353K. Seattle also signed 12th rounder Mike Faulkner for $100K according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox have signed their fifth through tenth round draft picks according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. All six players are college seniors.
  • The Royals have signed sixth rounder Zach Lovvorn for $275K, reports Callis (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick was $194K.
  • The Astros announced the signing of eight more picks, including ninth rounder Daniel Minor. Houston has now signed 18 picks total according to the release.
  • The Phillies have signed tenth rounder Kevin Brady for a straight slot $125K bonus according to Callis (on Twitter). The right-hander is out of Clemson.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Saunders, Quentin, Cards, Pirates

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up. Let's recap…

  • Teams looking for rotation help should call the Diamondbacks about Joe Saunders. Arizona wants to get top prospect Trevor Bauer into their rotation, but right now there's just no room.
  • The identity of the Padres' new owner will not be known before August, leaving the front office to make its own call on Carlos Quentin prior to the trade deadline. They could keep him and make him a qualifying offer after the season (entitling them to draft pick compensation), though they'd be gambling on future payroll before knowing the new owner's plans. The safest move could be trading the outfielder.
  • The Cardinals will wait to hear more about Chris Carpenter's status before making a move for a veteran starting pitcher in the wake of Jaime Garcia's shoulder injury. St. Louis wanted Jeff Francis badly, but the timing wasn't right; Garcia appeared to be healthy when Francis hit the market.
  • The Pirates have inquired about a number of corner infield bats, including Kevin Youkilis, Chase Headley, and Bryan LaHair. Some of those targets are more realistic than others, plus the trade market has yet to really materialize. There are far more buyers than sellers, though Pittsburgh has the pitching depth to swing a deal.

NL Central Notes: Appel, Perez, Soriano

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Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia has tearing in his labrum and rotator cuff, reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Surgery is not recommended at this time but he will be shut down for a minimum of four weeks. Garcia signed a four-year, $27MM extension last July.

Here's the latest from the NL Central, which just lost one of its best young pitchers…

  • ESPN's Jayson Stark hears that the Pirates are expected to offer eighth overall pick and Stanford right-hander Mark Appel a slot $2.9MM signing bonus and hold the line until the July 13th deadline as they sign their other picks. "I don't see how," said one executive when asked if a deal will get done between the team and the Scott Boras client.
  • Indians closer Chris Perez told Andrew Wagaman of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he was excited when the Cardinals traded him "because I could go do my thing." Cleveland acquired Perez from the Cards for Mark DeRosa in June 2009.
  • We know the Cubs are willing to absorb most of the $54MM left on Alfonso Soriano's contract to trade him, and ESPN's Buster Olney wonders (on Twitter) if the outfielder's recent power surge will create some interest. Soriano hit two homers last night and has 11 in his last 23 games.

Cardinals Claim John Gaub Off Waivers

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The Cardinals have claimed left-hander John Gaub off of waivers from the Rangers, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).  Gaub was designated for assignment on Thursday to create room on the 40-man roster for Tanner Scheppers.

The 27-year-old posted a 3.42 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 50 Triple-A appearances for the Cubs last season.  Gaub pitched in 16 games for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate and 5 for the Rangers' Triple-A team this year.

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