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Draft Notes: Giants, Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays

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The deadline to sign draft picks is 4pm CT this Friday. Here are the latest deals…

  • The Giants signed second round pick Martin Agosta for $613K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The right-hander can touch 96 mph and his fastball regularly checks in between 90-92 mph.
  • The Orioles have made a new offer to fourth overall pick Kevin Gausman and "still feel pretty confident" they will sign him, reports Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. Earlier this week we heard that the right-hander from LSU was leaning towards returning to school for his senior season.
  • The Blue Jays have signed 15th rounder Ryan Borucki to an above-slot $426K bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The high school right-hander from Illinois can throw his fastball in the low-90s but had an elbow issue in March.

East Notes: Martin, Phillies, Blue Jays, Papelbon

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A few links from around the NL East and AL East, where the Yankees and Nationals reside in first place at the All-Star break …

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman has no plans to acquire a catcher despite Russell Martin's struggles, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. "We have our catching," Cashman said. "I believe in Russell Martin, period."
  • The Phillies are flirting with exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold of $178MM, which could affect their dealings with impending free agent Cole Hamels, who's also a potential trade candidate, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The looming threat of a luxury tax stifling a player's contract negotiations is something union chief Michael Wiener said he wouldn't be "happy about," but he understands it's part of the the collective bargaining agreement.
  • The Blue Jays will have to pay a tax after overshooting the $2.9MM cap for signing international free agents that kicked in on July 2, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Toronto inked three of BA's top 20 international free agents.
  • Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said his Boston tenure all but ended when ex-manager Terry Francona's 2012 option was not picked up, leaving a managerial void the club would not fill till December, according to ESPNBoston.com. The Sox never made the right-hander an offer, Papelbon confirmed: "(The Red Sox) wanted to see if I could go out and test the market and maybe come back. I don't know if they would (have countered), but I don't go back. I go forward."

AL East Notes: Orioles, Longoria, Perez

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Though fourth overall selection Kevin Gausman recently said he’s leaning toward returning to LSU, Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports the team intends to reach a deal with its top pick. Duquette says the sides have made progress toward an agreement and Morosi reports that the Orioles have already offered Gausman "close" to MLB's recommended $4.2MM bonus. Here’s the latest from the AL East…

  • There’s lots of concern about Evan Longoria’s absence in Tampa Bay and no guarantee the Rays third baseman will return in 2012, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. Longoria has been sidelined since the beginning of May with a partially torn hamstring.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig says it’s “inexcusable” to see the Rays ranked 29th in attendance, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter). “Nobody can defend that," Selig said. The commissioner added that he'll continue "discussions" with Rays ownership, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes (on Twitter).
  • Blue Jays left-hander Luis Perez will miss the remainder of the season after tearing a ligament in his left pitching elbow, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes.

Justin Upton Rumors: Tuesday

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The Diamondbacks are willing to listen to trade offers for Justin Upton, the 24-year-old outfielder who finished fourth in National League MVP voting a year ago. Teams are already checking in on Upton, and interest is said to be “huge.” Here’s the latest on the Diamondbacks and their right fielder:

  • The Diamondbacks are seriously open to the idea of trading Upton, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic confirms. The organization has outfield depth in the Majors and minors, so the club could replace his production in the short term. Some decision makers in the organization don’t seem crazy about Upton, as the recent comments of managing general partner Ken Kendrick suggest. 
  • The Diamondbacks would be looking for a third baseman, shortstop or top-of-the-rotation starter if they trade Upton, Piecoro reports.
  • The Pirates are interested but they don’t match up well with Arizona, Piecoro writes. It’s possible the Blue Jays could be a fit, however. The Diamondbacks are known to like shortstop prospect Adeiny Hechavarria, though he wouldn’t be enough to tempt the Diamondbacks.

East Links: Phillies, Beltran, Mets, Bourn

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Some links pertaining to MLB's two eastern divisions as Prince Fielder is crowned Home Run Derby champion for the second time…

  • Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes that Jonathan Papelbon says he and his teammates understand the business side of the game, but that trading Cole Hamels would still not go over well in their clubhouse.
  • Carlos Beltran told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca and other reporters that the Blue Jays showed interest in him this offseason, but never made a formal contract offer. Beltran said the Indians and Rays were also interested, but most AL clubs wanted him to spend significant time at DH, and he wanted to play in the field regularly. According to Beltran, he would have considered the Giants, but they never called.
  • The Mets are open to adding veteran pieces at the trade deadline this year to strengthen the club, but they won't be trading top prospects like Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman offers speculative lists of relievers and catchers who could interest GM Sandy Alderson.
  • Heyman also writes that the Braves are not currently in extension talks with Michael Bourn, and that Bourn will likely be pursued by the Giants this winter when he hits free agency.

Minor Moves: Blue Jays, Ryan Eigsti

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Blue Jays signed right-hander Chris Jakubauskas, according to the team's website. Jakubauskas, 33, appeared in 33 games for the 2011 Orioles, posting a 5.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings.
  • Right-hander David Pauley elected free agency last week, according to the Blue Jays' site. The Blue Jays removed Pauley from their roster seven days ago after he made five appearances for the team.
  • The Royals released catcher Ryan Eigsti from Triple-AA Omaha, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). Eigsti, 26, appeared in 11 games for the Royals' top affiliate this year. He has a .213/.310/.322 batting line in parts of six minor league seasons.

Cafardo On Beckett, Quentin, Hernandez, Phillies

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hands out his midseason awards.  His award for "Most Surprising Team" so far goes to the White Sox in the American League and the Mets in the National League.  Cafardo credits the Mets' management team of Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta, and J.P. Ricciardi for piecing together the scraps and overshadowing the team's Bernie Madoff public relations nightmare.  Here's more from today's piece..

  • Red Sox starter Josh Beckett can block any deal with his ten-and-five rights, but it wouldn’t shock baseball people if Boston eventually pursues it. “He would get some interest if some of the money was absorbed,” said one National League GM. “He’s not what he was, but he can still pitch. He’s got the postseason resume and still seems to have some competitiveness on the mound, which are all things you look for. The things you have to evaluate would be the issues in the clubhouse, to some extent, and breaking down a little more than he used to.”
  • Earlier today we learned that the Pirates have had preliminary talks with the Padres about Carlos Quentin.  Cafardo writes that the outfielder could be the next big bat to go and would also be desirable for the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
  • Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik keeps insisting he will not trade Felix Hernandez, but he would likely be able to take care of three or four positions by doing so.  However, Zduriencik has been tempted with great offers in the past and declined to part with the right-hander.
  • While the Phillies are obviously giving serious thought to dealing Cole Hamels, one consideration for the club is that they have aging pitchers in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, and Hamels is younger.  The 28-year-old would be even more valuable down the road and rebuilding in Philadelphia is tough. 

Central Notes: Greinke, Brewers, Pirates, Tigers

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Zack Greinke took the hill for the Brewers today against the Astros, but not for long.  The right-hander was tossed from the game after just four pitches when he spiked the ball following a close play at first base.  Milwaukee would go on to lose 6-3, but they weren't the only club disappointed by what took place.  Here's more on Greinke and other items out of the AL and NL Central..

  • Scouts for at least six contending teams were disappointed when Greinke was ejected, as it deprived them of seeing a pitcher of trade interest, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Scouts from the Orioles, Rangers, Braves, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Blue Jays were all in Houston for the game.  However, it's possible that some of those teams had their eye on Wandy Rodriguez or were just taking part in regular coverage.  Earlier tonight, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted that the GMs of the O's and the Brewers have yet to talk about a Greinke deal.
  • Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter) spoke with Indians and Rangers GM John Hart, who said he wouldn't be surprised if the Pirates "go all-in" to swing a deal before the deadline.
  • The Tigers should go after offense rather than pitching at the trade deadline, opines Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press.  He argues that Detroit can get by with their No. 2-5 starters but are in greater need of hitting.

Starting Pitching Rumors: Blue Jays, White Sox

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The Orioles are just one of many teams looking for starting pitching, and they reportedly have their sights set on Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez. Here's the latest on some other clubs in need of rotation help…

  • The Blue Jays are showing the most interest in pitchers under control beyond this season, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Matt Garza and Rodriguez are among those high on their list, according to sources.
  • The White Sox's plans for the deadline depend heavily on John Danks and Philip Humber, tweets Morosi. If the two injured hurlers are not back soon, expect GM Kenny Williams to actively seek help for the battered rotation.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees

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Midway through this year's 162-game schedule, all five American League East teams have winning records. The Yankees have the best winning percentage in baseball and the Orioles, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays have all won more games than they've lost. Here are the latest AL East links…

  • Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette estimates that the Orioles have had trade talks with "probably over half the teams," Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports. Duquette says he'd like to improve his team's rotation if possible. "We need to find a solution to our starting pitching," he said.
  • Top prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are probably off-bounds in trade talks. “They look to be long-term solutions to help the Orioles," Duquette said.
  • Dominican prospect Wendel Rijo agreed to sign with the Red Sox for $625K, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees signed fifth round selection Robert Refsnyder for $206K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The right fielder has a good bat and a good arm, Callis adds.
  • The Blue Jays announced that they signed 18th rounder Alonzo Gonzalez, 26th rounder Nathan Desouza and 37th rounder Daniel Devonshire.
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