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Draft Update: Strasburg, Scheppers, Paxton

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ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill has an update on some top amateur players as June 9th draws closer:

  • He confirms what we heard last week: Barring the unforseen, the Nats will select Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick. 
  • Scouts expect Tanner Scheppers, who was drafted but never signed by the Pirates last year, to be selected within the first 15 picks. They're divided on whether the righty, who is pitching in an independent league, can crack the top ten.
  • Scott Boras added a new client, Kentucky lefty James Paxton, according to one of Churcill's sources.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Ibanez, Indians

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Links for Thursday…

Odds And Ends: Draft, Stark, Selig

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Links for Wednesday night…

  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer argues that the Nats shouldn't take Stephen Strasburg unless they're sure he'll help their team more than any other player, regardless of the hype surrounding the college righty.
  • Neyer also weighs in on the possibility of Bill James appearing as a cartoon in the upcoming Moneyball movie.
  • Speaking on ESPN radio, Jayson Stark says the Dodgers should win the NL West by 15 or 20 games.
  • He says they're a starter and a bullpen arm away from becoming much stronger and adds that they have the pieces to deal for the pitching they need. 
  • Jenny Vrentas of the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that Bud Selig says teams are making the necessary adjustments to cope with the struggling economy. Selig was speaking with the commissioners for the NBA, the NFL and the NHL.
  • MLB.com's Ken Gurnick writes that the Dodgers are thrilled to have added Orlando Hudson.
  • MLB.com's Bill Chastain spoke with Carl Crawford about the 100-steal plateau and heard that the speedy left fielder doesn't expect his stolen base tally to reach triple digits. Crawford, who has 20 steals, will likely become a free agent after 2010. How much could he command as baseball's first 100-steal man since Vince Coleman in 1987?

Odds & Ends: O’s, A’s, Milledge, Manny

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Your links for Tuesday…

  • MASN's Buck Martinez believes the Orioles are headed in the right direction as an organization.  "Sit back, relax and watch the organization grow," he writes.
  • Vlae Kershner of the San Francisco Chronicle summarizes the current standing of the Athletics' bid for a new ballpark.  Would a fancy facility in San Jose, the nation's 10th largest city, help boost the team's payroll?
  • Lastings Milledge, who was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse on April 14, told the Washington Post's Chico Harlan that he hasn't kept in touch with the Nationals' front office, and hasn't been paying attention to the club's day-to-day progress.  Sounds like a bad situation that might only get worse.
  • According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, super agent Scott Boras told Playboy magazine in a recent interview that his client, Manny Ramirez, simply didn't like living in the city of Boston.  That, Boras claims, is the reason Manny wanted out.  "It wasn't like Cleveland," said Boras.  And it's not like L.A., apparently.

Odds & Ends: Crow, Matsuzaka, Harrington

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Links for Monday…

Heyman On Strasburg, Pedro, Byrd

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Let's take a look at the latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman.

  • Heyman's on Twitter!
  • Heyman runs through the surprise contenders and decides which teams are the real deal.
  • The Nationals, as you know, have decided to draft Stephen Strasburg.
  • Heyman learned from Yankees GM Brian Cashman that "the Yankees can't seriously consider Pedro Martinez or Paul Byrd until they're pitching somewhere."  Heyman talked to another GM who estimated each player would need a month to get ready.  Byrd told Yahoo's Tim Brown he needs just two weeks in the minors.

Nats, MacDougal Agree To Minor League Deal

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According to the Associated Press, via the Miami Herald, the Nationals have agreed to terms on a non-guaranteed minor league contract with right-hander Mike MacDougal.

He was immediately assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.  MacDougal, 32, was designated for assignment by the White Sox on April 21, after racking up a 12.46 ERA in five games.  The Nationals will have the chance to retain MacDougal for 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player, if they choose.

Chico Harlan of the Washington Post has more.

Olney On Strasburg

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney heard that the Nationals "fully intend to draft and sign" Stephen Strasburg. Former Nats GM Jim Bowden made similar comments earlier in the week. Some rival talent evaluators expect the Nationals would shut Strasburg down if they can't sign him early. He has pitched 78.1 innings so far this year and no team would want to risk overusing an arm that valuable.

Strasburg is 10-0 with 147 strikeouts and 15 walks on the season and, as Laurence Miedema of the San Jose Mercury News reports, he hit 100 mph in his start last night. 

Heyman On Nationals, Lee, A-Rod

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SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new column up; here are some highlights:

  • Heyman spoke with a Nats person who described college pitcher Stephen Strasburg's curve as a "legit hammer." The Nats will have the chance to draft him with their first overall pick this June.
  • The Nats could have a solid young rotation soon if they add Strasburg to go along with Shairon Martis and Jordan Zimmermann, both 22. John Lannan and Scott Olsen are only 24 and 25, respectively.  
  • There has been contact between the Nats and Pedro Martinez, though Heyman writes that Pedro makes more sense for a team trying to win now.  
  • Speculation that Cliff Lee could be dealt is "not crazy at all," especially considering that last year's C.C. Sabathia deal worked well for both the Indians and Brewers.  
  • Heyman also weighs in on the latest Alex Rodriguez controversy. 
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