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I’m not as into the All-Star Game as I was when I was a kid.  But I do have some thoughts on it:

• I have always enjoyed having at least one representative from every team.  You don’t want to have an entire team’s fanbase left out of the game.  The game is for the fans and the kids, and we need to see at least one National.  Unfortunately that turned out to be Dmitri Young this year.  Now there’s an unlikely selection.
• To me, it’s all about what the player is doing this year.  Yes, I know a well-timed couple of months can earn a scrub a spot over a Hall of Famer.  But so what?  Fans have short-term memories.  If the All-Star game was a lifetime achievement award, they wouldn’t hold it every year.

Some random links to check out today:

• Lion In Oil interviewed ESPN’s Keith Law.  Some great insight in there regarding the responsibilities of general managers that the general public typically doesn’t consider.  As much as I love the business side of baseball, I’d make a terrible GM.  Definitely more of a 9-5er, that Tim Dierkes.  Actually 9-4:52 so I can catch the train I want.
• J.C. Bradbury – economist, professor, author, blogger – assigns probabilities of various Braves getting traded if the team falls out of contention.  Atlanta is only 3.5 games out but there’s a month to go before the deadline.  How about the idea of trading Chipper Jones?
• New WHIFF Profile of Boof Bonser.  If you’re not privy to the WHIFF Profiles, you’re missing out.
• RotoAuthority considers the fantasy futures of starters posting strong numbers in Double A this year.
• Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus weighs in on the Cubs’ trade of Michael Barrett and the Cubs’ disturbing trend of trading players when they reach rock bottom.  And contributing to the demise of said players.
• Jacob Jackson identifies the best unemployed GM in baseball – Paul DePodesta.

Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner posted a fantastic piece last Wednesday, arguing against the widespread assumption that the Mariners would end up with nothing if they fail to trade Ichiro in July and he leaves for another team via free agency.  I just found the post now via Jonah Keri.

Cameron’s point is that the value of two compensatory draft picks is often overlooked by fans.  I have to admit that in the past I have kind of ignored this aspect.  I was critical of Jim Bowden’s non-trade of Alfonso Soriano last summer, but it was a fine decision.  Unless Bowden was offered a can’t-miss prospect – and he wasn’t – it made sense to let Soriano walk.

Cameron noted that Billy Beane has used compensatory picks to great advantage, snagging tons of fine players that way.  Cameron even speculates in the comments that Beane could attempt to acquire Mark Buehrle this summer with no intention of signing him.  Beane did this with Ray Durham in ’02.

• Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star looks back at the Carlos Beltran trade made three years ago by the Royals.  With Mark Teahen and John Buck now regular contributors, the deal can be deemed a success.  There was definitely a point, maybe early ’06, where it looked like a complete bust for Kansas City.  Mellinger snags quotes from all of the principals in the blockbuster three-way trade; check it out.
• John Lackey has a blog.  This one was really flying under the radar; thanks to Will Carroll for alerting me.  And also I just learned that recently-traded starter Mike Maroth has one.
• Rod Beck will be missed by many.  This ESPN article from a few years back seems a perfect way to reflect.  Hat tip to Deadspin and The Cub Reporter on that one.

Some random thoughts and links…

• Jacob Jackson has an absorbing article up over at The Hardball Times. Jackson tries to find the next Jack Cust in the minor leagues.  Cust is a fascinating story this year.
• I don’t know how one gazes in awe at a radio show – but I will be appearing on Sportszilla Live this Sunday evening.
• I agree with Fire Joe Morgan – come on.
• Random thought: I love when a baseball TV broadcast accidentally picks up something a player says.  I just heard Jeff Kent curse at an umpire in Toronto.  By the way, why did I wait so long to sign up for MLB.TV?
• Cool idea over at Baseball Prospectus – Will Carroll is soliciting for the best realistic trade offers from BP readers.

You know what might be fun?  An MLBTR Mailbag.  Send me a question at mlbtraderumors@gmail.com, and include your first name, city, and state. 

Tim Brown of Yahoo’s MLB Experts Blog has a list of players GMs will be monitoring for trades in coming months:

• Devil Rays: Carl Crawford, Elijah Dukes, Al Reyes, Carlos Pena.  Brown sees Dukes as the most likely trade candidate.  Does his recent offense make that more or less likely?  Both – it should increase the Rays’ need to get rid of him but decrease the number of interested teams.  The Rays probably knew about the incident with the 17 year-old girl before it became public.  I expect TB to build around Crawford, but Reyes and Pena should be worth dealing.  Bet the Tigers wish they still had Pena.
• White Sox: Mark Buehrle, Jermaine Dye.  Brown names contenders for Buehrle: Phillies, Indians, Mariners.  I just don’t see Kenny Williams helping the Tribe though.  Brown thinks Dye should stay in the AL, though other reports have NL West teams after him.
• Marlins: Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera.  Of course this pair has been surfacing for quite a while now as the two expensive vets on a low-budget team.  Brown notes the Yankees’ love of Willis.  I would be concerned for Dontrelle’s ERA pitching as a Yankee.  Brown believes an L.A. team could go after Cabrera, which would be exciting.  But there really hasn’t been buzz around Cabrera lately.
• Rangers: Eric Gagne, Sammy Sosa, Kenny Lofton.  Brown names a slew of teams that could pursue Gagne: Indians, Tigers, Mariners, Braves, Mets, Yankees.  The latter four haven’t really gotten play as Gagne suitors yet.  I think the Ms should really focus on boosting their rotation somehow.  Their pen looked pretty good against the Cubs last night.
• Orioles: Steve Trachsel.  You know what I think of Trax’s sub-4 ERA.
• UPDATE: A second post from Brown names Omar Vizquel, Mark Grudzielanek, Jason Jennings, Brad Wilkerson, Brian Fuentes, Tadahito Iguchi, Ray Durham, and maybe Matt Kemp and James Loney as additional trade candidates.

If you have a profile on LinkedIn and would be interested in expanding networks a little bit, send me a connection.  My name is Tim Dierkes, and I’d definitely like to add a few more good solid contacts.  Who better than MLBTR readers?

I know you’re excited…we’re less than 24 hours away from baseball’s amateur draft.  I’m always amazed at the guys who really know their stuff when it comes to amateurs, tracking hundreds of prospects despite having limited stats and more limited chances to see these guys play.  Heck, I provide college stats to several major league teams and I don’t know the first thing about who will go where tomorrow.

But, here are some guys who do.  Best to start with the old pros at Baseball America: not only do they constantly update their draft tracker, ranking the top prospects, but this year they added a draft blog.  They didn’t update all day today, but there are plenty of interesting notes there.  If you have a subscription, there’s far more available to you at BA, as well.

There are now two draft experts at Baseball Prospectus.  Kevin Goldstein has one mock draft,  while Bryan Smith offers another.

And finally, if you want a more collective-wisdom type of thing with way more picks, check out Minor League Ball, which spread five rounds of a mock draft across a series of posts.

Then, when it’s all over, it’ll only be another decade or so before we have the data we need to evaluate how each team did!  Good times…

By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball

I’m going out of town Wednesday and Thursday on business, my first trip to California (Pasadena).  In my absence, Jeff Sackmann and Tom Goyne will fill in.  Enjoy! 

I don’t want to leave you hanging, so here are some links for the evening.

The Hardball Times’ Steve Treder takes a look at Steve Dalkowski, perhaps the hardest thrower in the history of baseball.  Definitely an interesting read.

Fire Joe Morgan takes on yet another Darin Erstad lovefest.

Dave Stewart is writing for NBX.com these days, and he’s not impressed with the Roger Clemens signing.

Check out Peter Abraham’s Myth vs. Reality post over at the LoHud Yankees Blog.

Tim Cowlishaw offers up some Mark Teixeira trade scenarios involving the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Tigers.

RotoAuthority takes a look at the fantasy prospects of new Twins starter Kevin Slowey.