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Archives for June 2010

Pirates Expected To Draft Jameson Taillon

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The Pirates have the second pick in today's draft, and ESPN's Buster Olney reports that they are expected to take high school pitcher Jameson Taillon.  This matches predictions made this morning by Baseball America's Jim Callis and ESPN's Keith Law, though an earlier note by Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggested they were leaning toward Manny Machado.  Talking to Finder, Bucs GM Neal Huntington explained that "we passed on some high school pitchers last year because, quite candidly, we didn't think they had the stuff that allowed [some] to be the exceptions."

For more on Taillon, check out Mike Axisa's post from May 29th.

2010 Draft Pick Gains And Losses

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Using Mike Axisa's 2010 draft order, let's take a look at which teams gained and lost picks through free agent compensation during the offseason.

  • Seven clubs added at least one pick without giving any up: the Angels, Blue Jays, Astros, Rangers, Cardinals, Rays, and Rockies.
  • The Angels lost Chone Figgins and John Lackey, but they added the most and best picks: #18, #29, #37, and #40.  This is a huge year for director of scouting Eddie Bane.  The Blue Jays added three picks: #34, #41, and #80.
  • The Astros, Rangers, and Cardinals each added two picks, with the Astros doing the best by snagging #19 and #33 for Jose Valverde.
  • The Orioles and Mets were the only two teams to lose a pick without adding any; those are #53 and #57 respectively.
  • The Mariners added #43 but gave up #18, while the Tigers added #44 and #48 while giving up #19.
  • The Red Sox came out in pretty good shape despite signing a pair of Type As in John Lackey and Marco Scutaro.  The Sox added #20, #36, #39, and #57 while losing #29 and #80.  Losing a Type A who was offered arbitration brings in two picks, but signing such a player only costs one.
  • The Braves added picks #35 and #53, but surrendered #20.

Originally published 3-29-10.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Shortstops

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Operating under the safe assumption Derek Jeter re-signs with the Yankees, who's the best available free agent shortstop after the season?  As usual, it's an unimpressive group.  2011 age is in parentheses.

  • Orlando Cabrera (36) - He's got a $4MM mutual option with a buyout of $500K or $1MM depending on who declines.  Whether you're looking for offense or defense, Cabrera's numbers don't impress.
  • Adam Everett (34) – Everett still has defensive skills, but his bat deteriorated to the point that the Tigers recently designated him for assignment.
  • Alex Gonzalez (33) – He hit for good power in the season's first month, and might be doing enough to get his $2.5MM option picked up by the Blue Jays after the season.
  • Cesar Izturis (31) – He's a defense-first type, at least in reputation, and a big negative with the bat.
  • Edgar Renteria (35) – He's currently on the DL with a hamstring injury, but at least holds a .372 OBP for now.  The Giants are unlikely to exercise his $10.5MM option, making him a tolerable choice in a poor class.
  • Jose Reyes (28) – He's been lousy this season, but at least appears healthy.  The Mets would be hard-pressed to decline his $11MM option.
  • Juan Uribe (31) – Not the ideal defensive shortstop anymore, but he's hit well since returning to the NL last year.  Uribe might be the best stopgap shortstop available on the free agent market.
  • Felipe Lopez (31) – Like Uribe, he's a solid, versatile bat who can pass as a shortstop if needed.
  • Cristian Guzman, Nick Punto, and Miguel Tejada aren't playing shortstop this year, but could potentially be moved back for 2011 if a team is so inclined.

Draft Links: Machado, Blue Jays, Dodgers

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The first round of the MLB draft kicks off at 6pm CST today.  Links to start you off, with new ones being added to the bottom of the post:

Wigginton Not Looking For A Trade

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Orioles infielder Ty Wigginton wants to remain with the Orioles if the alternative is receiving little playing time elsewhere, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  Wigginton told Connolly that he's not campaigning for a deal and enjoys playing in Baltimore:

"If I were to go somewhere, I'd want it to be somewhere I could contribute," the 32-year-old said. "But I love the city of Baltimore, and I love playing here for these fans."

The nine-year big league veteran will earn $3.5MM in 2010, the final year of his contract.  Earlier this week, it was reported that Wigginton would be open to playing for the Mets if the O's become sellers.  However, Wigginton "chuckled" at that story as both he and Millwood were responding to a question asking if they would have a problem playing for the Amazins.

Wigginton has started 52 of 57 games for the Orioles this season while playing at first, second, and third.

Odds & Ends: Perez, Howry, Brewers

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Sunday night linkage..

Draft Links: Pirates, Brewers, Red Sox

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More draft news from around the web..

  • The Pirates will take either shortstop Manny Machado or righthander Jameson Taillon with the second overall pick, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Earlier today, it was reported that the Bucs were looking at Machado, or Taillon but were also considering a "college pitcher".
  • The Brewers' have had countless "what if" moments in the draft in recent years, including almost nabbing Wade Davis in 2004, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
  • Several Red Sox shared their memories of draft day with Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.
  • A pair of Illinois prospects should go in the early rounds of the draft, writes Mike Helfgot for the Chicago Tribune.  Mike Foltynewicz, a Texas commit ranked amongst the top 50 prospects in this class by Baseball America, will likely be the first.

Week In Review: 5/30/10 – 6/5/10

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Let's take a look back at the week that was on the eve of the MLB Draft..

Odds & Ends: Fielder, Lincoln, Gorzelanny, Lee, Haren

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Links for Sunday..

Angels Targeting Cubs Bats?

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SUNDAY, 8:19pm: The Angels haven't aggressively pursued a trade for help yet and may not have Lee on their radar at this point, a source told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  With their 9-4 victory in Seattle today, the Angels improved to 7-1 without first baseman Kendry Morales in the lineup.

FRIDAY, 7:15pm: The Cubs have not asked Derrek Lee to approve a trade, sources tell Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  Lee's contract includes a no-trade clause, so the club could not deal him without his approval.

When asked about the trade rumors, Lee responded:

"Who are the 'excellent sources?'" the 34-year-old asked. "I've heard nothing on it. I've got nothing for you."

The first baseman also told reporters that he is not bothered by the trade speculation and wants to remain with the Cubs.

THURSDAY, 9:10am: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat hears that the Cubs have not talked to the Angels about Nady or Lee (Twitter link). That doesn't mean the Angels aren't interested, but it shows that talks are not far along.

8:08am: The Angels appear to be targeting Xavier Nady, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Nady, 31, has appeared in three games at first for the Cubs this year.

WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm: The Cubs "may be involved in trade talks" that would send first baseman Derrek Lee to the Angels, according to Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of The Chicago Tribune. The Halos, of course, will be without regular first baseman Kendry Morales for the foreseeable future following the fractured leg he suffered celebrating a walk-off grand slam last weekend.

The 34-year-old Lee missed tonight's game with a minor hamstring issue, but overall he's hitting just .232/.339/.366 on the season, down from last year's splendid .306/.393/.579 performance. The Cubs still owe him a touch under $9MM in salary for the remainder of the season, after which he'll become a free agent for the first time in his career.

We've already discussed the Angels' options for replacing Morales at length, though Lee's name was not mentioned.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

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