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Prior Still Wants To Pitch

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It's easy to forget that Mark Prior's just 28. He's battled arm troubles with the Cubs and been released by the Padres, but he tells MLB.com's Fred Claire that he still wants to pitch. Pedro Martinez and Chris Carpenter have come back from injuries, so Prior looks at them and remains determined to come back.

"I will do everything I can to prepare myself to pitch in the Major Leagues again," he said. "I know I have the ability and I haven't given up on myself in any way."

When Prior looks forward he sees a career renaissance like Carpenter's; when he looks back, he remembers the Stephen Strasburg-esque hype that surrounded him after he signed a record-setting deal out of college. Prior, who says he has no regrets, offers this advice for Strasburg: "enjoy the journey."

Odds And Ends: Padilla, Strasburg, Gomes

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Another round of links…

  • Ted Green of the LA Times says Vicente Padilla will be an "angel" with the Dodgers because he has no other choice.  
  • As Monday night's deadline to sign picks neared, we had no idea whether Stephen Strasburg would sign. Neither did Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, so he wrote this story in case the Nats failed to sign him.
  • We've heard lots of talk about Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, but John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders if the Reds could deal Jonny Gomes, who has 15 homers, to a contender.
  • Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball shows how much teams spent on draft picks Monday and argues that the recommended slotting system isn't working as intended.

Orioles Claim Chris Lambert From Tigers

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Via Twitter, MLB.com's Jason Beck notes that the Orioles claimed Tigers minor leaguer Chris Lambert off of waivers. The Tigers designated Lambert for assignment to make room for top pick Jacob Turner on the 40-man roster.

Lambert, a 26-year-old righty, allowed 121 hits and 31 walks in 126.2 innings at Triple A Toledo, striking out 106. His major league ERA this year is 14.85 in just two appearances, but his minor league ERA is a quarter of that.

Astros Will Not Trade Valverde

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The Astros pulled Jose Valverde back off of waivers after another team claimed him, meaning he won't be traded this month, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. There's a small chance the Astros could put him on waivers again if they decide to shed a portion of their closer's $8MM salary, but they would no longer have the right to pull him back. 

Valverde should be a Type A free agent after the season, so the Astros can obtain draft picks if they offer Valverde arbitration. The Astros dealt Ivan Rodriguez earlier in the week, but GM Ed Wade said he doesn't expect to deal more players.

Odds And Ends: Rizzo, Rangers, Hall

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More links for the morning…

  • Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that it would have been wrong for the Nats to give the GM job to anybody but Mike Rizzo, who will be formally introduced in about four hours.
  • Via Twitter, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that the Rangers signed Dominican righty David Perez for $425k.
  • Bill Hall tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he put too much pressure on himself after inking a $24MM deal with the Brewers.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the Mets can watch Jeff Francoeur play 40 more games before they have to decide whether to offer him a contract for next year.
  • As Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows, Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese high schooler who can throw 96mph and has attracted at least some interest from MLB teams. 

Odds And Ends: Jeter, Uggla, Cubs, Hall

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Links for Thursday morning…

Garland Clears Waivers

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D'Backs starter Jon Garland has cleared waivers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Now the team can trade him to any one of the clubs seeking rotation help without restriction. Morosi hears that Garland is one of the more appealing starting pitchers available, in spite of his considerable contract. The righty makes $6.25MM this year and will receive $2.5MM if his team doesn't want to pick up the $10MM mutual option for next year.

The D'Backs decided not to trade Doug Davis when the Brewers claimed him earlier in the month, but it's unclear if they're looking for more than salary relief in a deal for Garland, who turns 30 next month. He has allowed 173 hits and 50 walks in his 25 starts and he only has 74 strikeouts, but he's averaging over 6.0 innings per outing.

Odds & Ends: Tejada, Rays, Yankees

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A roundup of links before the evening comes to a close:

Nationals Tab Rizzo As GM

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8:55pm: We can close the books on this one for now: Bill Ladson at MLB.com reports that Mike Rizzo will be named the permanent general manager of the Nationals at a news conference on Thursday. The decision was apparently made earlier this week, probably in the thick of the Strasburg negotiations.

Rizzo has made some pretty sage moves for the Nationals so far, and it looks like he's taking the beleaguered franchise in a good direction. It's unclear how long he's been signed for or why previous news had suggested the complete opposite.

8:16pm: This story looks more and more dubious as the hours pass. Chico Harlan at the Post reports that Rizzo was seen loose and joking with Nationals president Stan Kasten pre-game today, and he's currently scheduled for a Friday fan Q&A on the Strasburg signing. Harlan also says that Rizzo was the sole negotiator of the Strasburg deal in its final minutes and that, at this point, "[Rizzo's] stock has never been higher." When reached for comment, Rizzo was "mum" on the current situation, Bill Ladson at MLB.com says.

3:04pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that though the Nats have not yet decided on a permanent GM, they will decide on one this week. The team will introduce Stephen Strasburg at a Friday press conference, so an announcement before then would be a surprise.

2:53pm: A source tells Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that the reports saying the Nats have decided to replace Rizzo with DiPoto are false. 

"The decision has already been made," the source said. "And the best I can tell you- what's been written is 100% wrong."

The Nats have not told DiPoto or Red Sox exec Jed Hoyer of their decision, according to Harlan's source.

2:22pm: ESPN.com's Keith Law hears that the Nationals are not about to award Jerry DiPoto the GM job.

WEDNESDAY, 11:02am: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that D'Backs exec Jerry DiPoto has told friends he will accept the Nats GM job.

TUESDAY, 9:43pm: According to Gordon Edes of Yahoo.com, "multiple sources insisted" today that the Nationals are about to replace interim GM Mike Rizzo with Diamondbacks vice president Jerry DiPoto. 

Rizzo has been busy since replacing Jim Bowden as GM earlier this year. He brought in Nyjer Morgan and fired Manny Acta. Most notably, perhaps, he has been given credit for engineering the signing of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg.

DiPoto, who has been in charge of the Diamondbacks' pro scouting for four years, denied any knowledge that such a job change was imminent.

Wagner Placed On Waivers

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According to Jayson Stark at ESPN, the Mets have placed former closer Billy Wagner on waivers with the hopes that they can unload him to another team. Stark says Wagner's imminent return could be considered a "glorified audition."

If Wagner were to be claimed, that team would be on the hook for the roughly $2.7MM remaining on his contract this year as well as the $1MM buyout on his option for next year. So if Wagner clears, which he most likely will, it looks like the Mets will be forced to pay a good chunk of the money he's due if they're going to move him.

It'll be interesting to see how Wagner performs upon his return. Should he rebound, who does he make the most sense for?

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