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Draft Updates: Ackley, Cards, Tigers, Rangers

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Here's a few looks at some clubs who are still working to sign their top picks…

  • Ryan Divish reports that the Mariners have requested that first-round pick Dustin Ackley take a physical. Divish speculates that this could signal the two sides becoming closer to a deal.
  • The Cardinals are still optimistic that they'll reach a deal with first-rounder Shelby Miller, according to Matthew Leach from MLB.com. The commissioner's recommended slot is $1.386MM for the 19th overall pick, but it's clear that Miller will receive more than that, Leach says. Miller himself was quoted, saying: "Right now, I'm definitely looking to sign a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. It feels good." Sounds like good reason to be optimistic to me. UPDATE: B.J. Rains tweets that Miller is on his way to St. Louis for a physical as well.
  • Jason Beck writes that the Tigers have 21 picks that remain unsigned, including first-rounder Jacob Turner and second-rounder Andrew Oliver. Both Turner and Oliver are being advised by Scott Boras, which could complicate the signings. Turner was rumored to be seeking a deal similar to Rick Porcello's $7.285MM deal before even being drafted by the Tigers. Oliver is coming off a rough season which dropped him to the second round. Beck writes that he could raise his stock by returning to Oklahoma State for another season.
  • The Rangers are "doing everything they can" to sign first-rounder Matthew Purke, says T.R. Sullivan. Purke passed his physical, and has met with club president Nolan Ryan. According to Sullivan though: "all indications from both sides are there is still a substantial gap to bridge before a deal gets done."

Gammons’ Latest: Greene, Angels, Strasburg

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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. 

Odds & Ends: Shelby Miller, Astros, Strasburg

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… you've gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel linky?" Well, do ya, punk?

  • According to MLB.com's Matthew Leach, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said "I would say there's optimism on both sides," when asked about negotiations with top pick Shelby Miller.
  • Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros have signed 18-yr old Ruben Alaniz for $160K as an undrafted free agent. A Texas high schooler, Alaniz "slipped through the cracks as teams prepared for the draft," but the Astros found him in a tryout camp recently and outbid at least two other teams for his services.
  • Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball takes a look at Stephen Strasburg's value by comparing him to last year's crop of arbitration eligible pitchers.

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

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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.

Talkin’ John Smoltz

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As Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com notes, 42-year-old right-hander John Smoltz has not considered retirement and is hoping to join a new team soon, either as a starter or reliever.  Here's what we know so far:

Smoltz was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on August 7 after posting an 8.33 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP over eight starts.  He refused an assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket earlier this week, and the Sox now have only two days to find a trade partner before they must grant him his release.  The Marlins, Cardinals, Dodgers, Rangers and Astros are thought to have some level of interest.  SI.com's Jon Heyman has spoken with MLB executives who believe the veteran is likely to end up back in the National League.

There's a chance an interested club will jump in and make a deal for Smoltz before he's released, but it would make more sense for teams to sit tight until Monday, and leave Boston with the remainder of his one-year, $5.5 million contract.  A release will also negate all bonuses and incentives tied to that deal.

La Russa Wants Speier, Smoltz?

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According to Bernie Miklasz at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), Cardinals manager Tony La Russa indicated that he would be interested in adding the recently dismissed veterans John Smoltz and Justin Speier. Both would be candidates to strengthen the depleted right side of the Cards' bullpen.

Against righties this season, Smoltz put up a 21/2 K/BB ratio while limiting them to a .232 batting clip. Speier has a 20/5 K/BB against them and has kept them to only a .239 average. So despite each having early difficulties, it looks like they each still could be of use to a team like the Cardinals. It's also notable that Tony La Russa had been clamoring to acquire Matt Holliday last year until the Cards finally pulled the trigger to grab him — La Russa has a history of getting his man.

Rosenthal On Angels, Rangers, Rockies

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Angels are looking for rotation upgrades and have no budget limitations. GM Tony Reagins says he's constantly evaluating the benefits of adding an expensive piece to the team. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Rangers have claimed several cheap bats off waivers, but have yet to acquire any of them.
  • At least one GM expects the Rockies to win the NL West and the Cards to win the World Series. 
  • The Rockies are still looking for a reliever and a bench bat. 
  • Rosenthal says the Tigers have no choice but to keep playing Magglio Ordonez, even though his expensive 2010 option will vest after 90 more trips to the plate. 

Mozeliak: Cards Unlikely To Pursue Smoltz

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When the Red Sox designated John Smoltz for assignment earlier today, it was only a matter of time before we started hearing if clubs were interested in his services or not. Matt Baker at The News Leader caught up with Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, who said "Right now I would say no, but things can change,” when asked if he had interest in the future Hall of Famer.

St. Louis added $6.6MM to their payroll with their deadline acquisitions, but the Red Sox would be on the hook for all but the pro-rated portion of the minimum should he be released. Perhaps more importantly, Smoltz would have to decide to continue his career first.

Mozeliak also said that he's "very optimistic we’ll get something worked out" with top pick Shelby Miller, who remains unsigned.

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Prospects, Mariners

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Some evening appetizers as (most) games commence this evening:

  • Marc Hulet at Fangraphs gives part two of his rankings of the prospects moved this past deadline.
  • A "back issue" has sidelined Troy Glaus yet again, reports Joe Strauss at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This would seem to lessen the chances he gets traded this month even further.
  • Matt Eddy at Baseball America has a comprehensive list of the most recent minor league transactions.
  • Ben Badler at Baseball America gets official confirmation on all the Mariners' international signings, including the highly-touted Guillermo Pimentel, who received a $2MM bonus. In all, they signed ten amateurs, eight from Latin America and two from Korea.
  • Impending free agent Adrian Beltre is back in the Mariners' lineup, says Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times, and says he's not concerned about his contract going forward.
  • The Cubs signed their sixth-round pick, LHP Brooks Raley, for $750k, reports Jim Callis at Baseball America. That's a notable figure, as it's $600k more than the recommended slot and the highest figure above-slot we've seen before the deadline, Callis says.

Which Teams Took On Salary At The Deadline?

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As the trade deadline approached, we heard many writers and executives suggest teams would be unable to add payroll this year. Here's a breakdown of the teams that added at least $1MM in salary to their 2009 payrolls this summer. All totals are approximate:

In total, 12 teams added payroll, but only one took on more than $5MM. The prognosticators were right about one thing: teams didn't take on much payroll. However, few predicted 12 teams would take on salary at the deadline. Looks like many teams set economic concerns aside when presented with the chance to win.

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