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Archives for June 2009

Astros Owner McLane On Young Talent

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Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle reports that Astros owner Drayton McLane says it's time to strengthen the franchise by commiting to "young talent." The Astros are a veteran team, in last place with a 23-29 record, so McLane says he wants to focus on building from the bottom up:

"We have to make a stronger investment and smarter picks in the draft. You've got to invest in young talent. To do that, you need patience, and that's hard for me."

McLane has tried to keep the Astros in contention every year and he says he hasn't given up on a 2009 comeback, but he understands reinvesting in youth won't necessarily lead to instant results.

"That doesn't always happen in baseball. We spend $4MM to $6MM in the draft every year, but we haven't always made good decisions."

McLane adds that he wants Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman to retire as Astros. Oswalt is not on the block and McLane says he'd try to talk either player out of requesting a trade if they ever approached him about a deal.

Rosenthal On Guthrie, Rangers, Glaus

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Orioles would consider dealing Jeremy Guthrie under the right circumstances. Here are the details, along with highlights from the rest of his column:

  • Teams have inquired to see if Guthrie, who makes just $650K this year, is available. The Orioles would only move him if they hear "an overwhelming offer."
  • The O's are reluctant to move George Sherrill, who's pitching well and remains under team control through 2011.  
  • Danys Baez is more likely to be dealt.  
  • The Rangers could lose Josh Hamilton for an extended period, but that won't stop them from dealing a bat for a reliever. Rosenthal writes that the Rangers could replace a player like Marlon Byrd or Hank Blalock internally.  
  • The Rangers will consider pursuing a top starting pitcher.  
  • The Mariners aren't about to deal anybody away for now. "I think right now we are still in it," GM Jack Zduriencik said. The Mariners are 5.5 games out in the AL West.  
  • If Troy Glaus proves he can hit, but has trouble playing third upon his return, the Cardinals could deal him to a team in need of a first baseman or DH.

Rockies DFA Grilli

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According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post the Rockies designated pitcher Jason Grilli for assignment to make room for reliever Matt Daley. Grilli has an unusual line so far this year. In 19.1 innings he has 22 strikeouts, but he's allowing over two baserunners per inning.

In a separate move, the Rockies called up outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, one of their acquisitions in the Matt Holliday deal. So far, Gonzalez has an OPS over 1.000 in Triple A.

La Russa: Cards Seek Big Bat

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According to Matthew Leach at MLB.com, Tony La Russa longs for a big bat to protect Albert Pujols. Leach notes that La Russa "spoke like a man who has expectations, rather than hopes."

The Cardinals have been linked to Mark DeRosa recently, though La Russa seems to indicate he wants something greater. He directly refers to the past Matt Holliday discussions, and Leach notes Holliday as an "intriguing name" as he has been open to a possible trade away from Oakland. La Russa indicated that the club has some financial flexibility, but wants to avoid anything "unreasonable."

Discussion: Replacing Jose Reyes

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According to SNY's Kevin Burkhardt, Jose Reyes has a tear in his right hamstring tendon. The Mets will wait till Friday to make a decision on the matter, but Burkhardt guesses Reyes will be sidelined till the All-Star break.

So what are the Mets' options? Alex Cora is currently holding the line at short. Should they pursue someone like, say, Bobby Crosby? Mark Grudzielanek is still out there as a free agent, but he hasn't played shortstop in a while. What do you think?

Odds and Ends: Glavine, McLouth, Ross

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A few links for a night that has, so far, been a tad less exciting than the one previous in our realm. Congrats to Randy Johnson on his big day.

2010 Options: Colorado Rockies

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Let's scope out the options facing the Colorado Rockies this coming offseason.

  • Yorvit Torrealba – $4MM mutual option with a $0.5MM buyout. Torrealba's taken a backseat to Chris Iannetta in playing time, turning in a .649 OPS in 61 at-bats this season. He's faced some tough personal issues as of late as his son and brother-in-law were recently freed from kidnappers in Venezuela. The Rockies were apparently shopping Torrealba in March, which probably points toward a buyout at the season's end.
  • Alan Embree – $3MM club option with a $0.25MM buyout. Embree's been fairly horrendous versus both righties and lefties this season, posting a 6.60 ERA in 15.1 innings, and just officially lost his set-up role last week. Chances are he's bought out.

Draft Updates: Reds, Astros, Rangers

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Some preferences, tendencies and opinions from around the majors as Tuesday's draft draws closer:

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds like Aaron Crow, but don't expect him to be available when they select eighth. Fay says "there's a good chance they'll take him" if he's available.
  • Keith Law and Jason A. Churchill of ESPN.com break down the drafting tendencies of each MLB team. For example, the Braves like local high school players and the Mariners lean towards college talent.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says the Astros could go after pitching with the 21st pick, or maybe high schooler Everett Williams. One thing's for sure: the Astros aren't looking for a catcher after selecting Jason Castro last year.
  • The Rangers have one of the strongest systems in the game in part because they've drafted well. Jamey Newberg looks at 20 top Rangers prospects in a report for MLB.com.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark argues "the most dysfunctional draft in professional sports" needs to put a cap on player bonuses.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Clay Daniel, the scout who oversaw the signing of players such as Ervin Santana, was fired. He was apparently dismissed because of the "improper activities" of some of the scouts he hired.

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