Lucas Giolito Talks Elbow, Nationals
The Nationals selected high schooler Lucas Giolito with their top pick in this year’s draft despite uncertainty surrounding his pitching elbow, and the right-hander sounds confident that he’ll justify the team’s decision. Considered one of the most talented players available in this year’s draft, Giolito suffered an elbow injury this March and waited last night as half of baseball’s 30 teams passed on him.
“I had no idea where I was going to go off of the board,” he told reporters on a conference call this afternoon.
Giolito has started throwing long toss — he’s up to 300 feet — and is also throwing “pretty hard” on flat ground. He said he expects rehabilitation, not surgery, to be the answer to his recent ligament injury.
“I’m confident that this issue is behind me,” he said, sounding more poised than most 17-year-old prospects. “I’m looking forward to getting on the mound soon.”
Giolito said he considers the Nationals a “great organization” and that he admires Stephen Strasburg's pitching style. He said he’ll join the Nationals by next month’s signing deadline if the situation is right, but noted that UCLA has an appealing baseball program that remains “a really big option” for him.
This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Nationals have drafted a player tabbed as a potential first overall talent with their top pick. They selected Anthony Rendon sixth overall last year after selecting Strasburg and Bryce Harper with the first overall selections in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Scouting director Kris Kline and general manager Mike Rizzo made Giolito the 16th overall selection last night. MLB recommends a bonus of $2.1MM for that slot; the sides have until July 13th to work out an agreement.
Quick Hits: Alfonso Soriano, Cubs Draft, Mets
The Nationals rewrote Major League history on Sunday in yet another sign that the beleaguered franchise has turned the proverbial corner. Bryce Harper and Steve Lombardozzi became the first rookies to hit back-to-back home runs to lead off a game in the modern era. Here's the latest odds and ends from around the league as we look forward to Monday's amateur draft…
- Alfonso Soriano is open to being traded to a contender as he concedes his career is winding down at 36, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Soriano has made himself an attractive trade candidate with a 2012 slash line of .267/.311/.460, but remains unlikely to be moved thanks to his hefty contract. The Cubs owe Soriano the remainder of his $18MM salary for this year and $36MM over the next two seasons.
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum hasn't seen team president Theo Epstein or scouting chief Jason McLeod in days and that's because they are in lockdown mode for Monday's amateur draft, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "Theo and Jason and Jed (Hoyer), they've had a whole different system in the draft, and obviously it's worked pretty well," Sveum said. "The high picks they had in Boston panned out pretty good." Equipped with the sixth pick in the draft, the Cubs are expected to take high school center fielder Albert Almora or Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa based upon projections from Baseball America.
- Look for the Mets to consider making minor moves at the trade deadline rather than taking on salary to acquire an expensive veteran, writes Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com. Cerrone points to Buster Olney's comments on Sunday night in which he stated that the team is focused on the big picture when Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler arrive in Queens in as soon as 14 months.
Draft Notes: Phillies, White Sox, Brewers, Nationals
The first round of the MLB draft takes place tomorrow night. Here are the latest notes on the draft:
- The Phillies intend to spend their entire draft pool of $4.9MM on their first ten picks and will draft a position player early, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- White Sox scouting director Doug Laumann told the Chicago Tribune's Dave Van Dyck he doesn't expect to find an immediate impact player in the draft. “It’s probably as thin as I've seen in a decade,” Laumann said. “We see that it's pretty thin right now in the college ranks."
- Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid doesn't think there much of a talent dropoff after the first ten picks, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The Brewers have the 27th, 28th, and 38th selections.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo isn't letting the new CBA impact his draft strategy, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Padres will keep an eye out for shortstops in the draft, says Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- The Astros have the first overall pick in the draft for the first time in 20 years. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart recalls how that missed pick (Phil Nevin) affected the franchise.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Morneau, Broxton, Lee
The Red Sox could be in the enviable position of being both buyers and sellers at the deadline, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Once their outfield is healthy, Cody Ross, Daniel Nava, Ryan Sweeney, Scott Podsednik, and Marlon Byrd could be trade bait. Kevin Youkilis is obviously a major chip and guys like Aaron Cook, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Mark Melancon, and Kelly Shoppach may also find themselves on the block. The Nationals are in a similar position as they could sell off pitchers John Lannan and Chien-Ming Wang while still contending. Meanwhile, the two teams most willing to move players will be the Astros and Cubs. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Twins will likely entertain offers at the trading deadline for Justin Morneau but won’t necessarily deal him. The Blue Jays are a team to watch as they are trying to do something significant to help their offense. Morneau earns $14MM this year and next and the Jays have money saved. Toronto also has the kind of prospects Minnesota desires.
- A decision the Royals made last week will likely enhance Jonathan Broxton’s trade value. They have been cautious with him because of past elbow issues but are no longer barring him from pitching consecutive days. Broxton has a 1.74 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20.2 innings this year.
- Despite the Astros’ surprising start, they will still listen to offers for their top trade candidates. That includes closer Brett Myers, lefty starter Wandy Rodriguez, first baseman Carlos Lee, right-hander Brandon Lyon, and shortstop Jed Lowrie.
- Lee could be a fit for the Dodgers as they look to replace Matt Kemp's power bat, but Lee has always had West Coast teams on his no-trade list.
- Eventually, Twins GM Terry Ryan try to make the best possible deals for assets such as outfielder Josh Willingham, starters Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano, closer Matt Capps, and infielder Jamey Carroll.
- A's starters Bartolo Colon and Brandon McCarthy, relievers Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes, outfielder Coco Crisp, catcher Kurt Suzuki, and others are in play. They also wouldn’t be against moving Josh Reddick.
East Notes: Nationals, Youkilis, Podsednik, Red Sox
After 8,020 games, the Mets finally have their first no-hitter in franchise history thanks to Johan Santana's brilliant performance tonight against the Cardinals. Santana's bid was saved in the seventh inning by Mike Baxter as he sacrificed his body to make an incredible catch against the leftfield wall. The left-hander threw 134 pitches in total but said after the game that he had no intentions of coming out of the game early. Here's more out of the Eastern divisions..
- According to a baseball source, there is a feeling that Bryce Harper is not the long-term answer in center field for the Nationals and the club still has interest in Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos and Twins outfielder Denard Span, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. However, the source said there haven't been any talks between the Nats and those clubs and wouldn't be the surprised if nothing happened until the offseason.
- Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis told Ian Browne of MLB.com that he's not fazed by the recent trade talk surrounding him. Boston GM Ben Cherington denied a report saying that they are telling teams that the veteran is available but the White Sox and Rangers are among the clubs that have checked in on him.
- The Red Sox could be forced to cut veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik once Darnell McDonald or Cody Ross return, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. For his part, the 36-year-old doesn't sound ready to hang 'em up just yet. "Until I can't go out and steal a base, until I'm not running that well, I'd be doing myself an injustice by not trying to go out and play," Podsednik said.
Twins Return Erik Komatsu To Nationals
The Twins have returned Rule 5 selection Erik Komatsu to the Nationals, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). The Twins designated the outfielder for assignment two days ago after claiming him from the Cardinals. The Nationals confirmed the move and noted that Komatsu will be assigned outright to Triple-A (Twitter link).
The Cardinals selected Komatsu from the Nationals in last winter's Rule 5 draft. Komatsu appeared in 30 total games this year, playing all three outfield positions and posting a .216/.293/.216 batting line. He has a .302/.389/.434 line in four seasons as a minor leaguer.
Quick Hits: Oswalt, Dempster, Diamondbacks, Jones
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- The Dodgers inquired on Roy Oswalt at one point but don't appear involved now, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). This morning we learned that Oswalt would still rather play for the Rangers or Cardinals than the Red Sox.
- Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster hopes to stay in Chicago even though he knows that he could be trade bait, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I want to be here and be part of what’s going to be a bright future," Dempster said. "Sometimes you have to endure some of the tough times in the present to get to that. We’ll just see how it goes."
- At certain points, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers put out feelers with other teams to see what another catcher might cost in trade and didn't like what he heard, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Arizona realized what they have in catcher Miguel Montero and locked him up to a five-year extension over the weekend.
- Orioles center fielder Adam Jones told reporters that securing a no-trade clause in his six-year, $85.5MM contract was important to him, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- The Nationals could be interested in bringing back Erik Komatsu, who was DFA'd by the Twins earlier today, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
Nationals Seeking Veteran Reliever, Dangling Lannan
The Nationals are actively seeking a veteran relief pitcher and are dangling starter John Lannan as possible trade bait, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The left-hander is set to earn $5MM in 2012.
Lannan, 27, hasn't looked sharp in nine starts for Triple-A Syracuse, posting a 6.12 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. A rival executive recently pointed out to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that any team that acquires Lannan might prefer to let him go rather than go to arbitration with him, further hurting his trade value.
Quick Hits: Marquis, Bourn, Nats, Athletics
Links from around baseball as the Cubs look to snap their ten-game losing streak tonight in Pittsburgh..
- Twins GM Terry Ryan said Jason Marquis was placed on release waivers, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Other clubs have 48 hours to claim Marquis, who was DFA'd on Tuesday.
- Braves centerfielder Michael Bourn could be a possible target for the Nationals and while he wouldn't directly talk about playing for Washington, he told reporters that he likes what the club has to offer, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "They are good. They have some real good pitching," Bourn said. "They made some key acquisitions, and they have Gio Gonzalez over there now. They bring a good starter every night."
- The Athletics met with Clorox CEO Don Knauss but the team is definitely not for sale and no offer was made, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Clorox and a handful of other East Bay Companies recently announced that they are working to keep the A's in Oakland with a new stadium.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes that the Athletics knew that they were getting a promising righty when they acquire Ryan Cook along with Jarrod Parker and Collin Cowgill in the Trevor Cahill trade, but they weren't expecting this kind of dominance.
Stark On Chapman, Twins, Lind, Braves
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that he doesn’t mind the constant discussion surrounding Aroldis Chapman’s role. "I like it. It creates interest in our club, and that's all good,” Jocketty said. “Everybody has a theory on it.” The GM says Chapman would like to start, and that the left-hander will remain in the bullpen for the 2012 season. Here are the rest of Stark’s notes and rumors:
- Twins people have told rival teams they aren’t likely to trade Justin Morneau this summer.
- When teams have asked about Denard Span, the Twins have said they aren’t interested in making trades right now, Stark reports. However, there are indications the Twins will listen on Span if the offers are good enough.
- Stark hears that the Nationals don’t consider Bryce Harper the answer in center field.
- Scouts and executives from three teams say they don’t have interest in Adam Lind, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
- The Braves are more likely to pursue an impact starting pitcher than a hitter this summer, according to rival teams. GM Frank Wren maintains that Kris Medlen is “probably better than any arm who will be available.” Medlen could join the rotation midseason, according to Wren.
- Rival teams say the Orioles would like to upgrade at first base and/or third base.
- Stark hears that Angels manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t have to worry about his job security. The skipper is under contract through 2018.