• There’s some chatter that the ’09 draft class will be weak.  This could motivate teams to trade their impending free agent stars this July rather than collect compensation picks.
• Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson has "fallen out of favor with some in the organization."  Rosenthal believes he’d be a hot commodity if fired.
• The Rangers are open to trading Vicente Padilla, as you’d expect.  We’ve heard some crazy things about the asking price.
• While the Royals don’t seem to consider Zack Greinke untouchable, they’d have to be bowled over to trade him.
• The Yanks probably don’t have room for Ben Broussard, and the Orioles could swoop in and sign him if he’s granted free agency this month.
• Look for Scott Hatteberg to become a free agent today; interest appears to be tepid.
• The Florida teams are willing to spend money for midseason upgrades.  They’re understandably reluctant to trade prospects.
• Doesn’t seem like Orlando Cabrera will be signing long-term with the White Sox.

Sexson, only 33, is struggling to clear the Mendoza line at present.  The struggle began last year when he hit .205 in 121 games. However, of his 31 hits this year, nine have been homers. It’s also worth noting that his average has been much better (.333) against lefties, though of course, it’s a piteously small sample size (36 plate appearances). Even so, he wouldn’t be very useful as a role player considering that he has been a DH/1B since 2000. He’s in the last year of his contract, he’s not fragile, and yet I can’t think of a single team who would sign him if Seattle does release him. Possibly the Indians? The Rangers? Any other ideas?

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro. She can be reached here.

Additionally, the Mariners are "actively pursuing" Hatteberg.  The Ms actually started Miguel Cairo at first last night.

WEDNESDAY: According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, "the Mets have some, but only some" interest in recently-designated first baseman Scott Hatteberg.  Davidoff says the Mets will wait until Hatteberg clears waivers and then perhaps see if Hatteberg is open to a minor league deal.

Hatteberg is a left-handed hitter who succeeds against righties (as is often the case).  Carlos Delgado hasn’t succeeded against anyone this year, but previously he had the same splits as Hatteberg.  The two don’t match up for a platoon, but it’d make sense for the Mets to keep Hatteberg at Triple A until they decide whether to cut Delgado (.215/.294/.387 in 204 PAs).

9:30am: The Reds haven’t announced the corresponding move to Jay Bruce’s callup yet.  John Fay wonders whether they’ll opt to designate Scott Hatteberg for assignment, noting his well-diminished role on the team.  I speculated back in April that Hatteberg might be a good replacement for Carlos Delgado or complement to Richie Sexson.

Corey Patterson has to be worried as well, since Bruce is expected to take over as the regular center fielder.  Patterson is hitting just .201/.242/.354 in 155 plate appearances.

• Rosenthal thinks it makes sense for the Phillies to shop Shane Victorino for pitching, since Jayson Werth is playing well.  That’d increase reliance on Geoff Jenkins, though.  The Marlins expressed some interest in Victorino last year.
• Rosenthal expects the Reds to move Scott Hatteberg and a catcher before they get down to the more serious business of mullling offers for Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr.
• Trading Paul Byrd would make sense for the Indians.  Rosenthal says the Brewers, Braves, and Astros "likely would show interest."  Byrd sports a 3.61 ERA and 4.4 K/BB. 

• Aside from Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr., Rosenthal suggests Walt Jocketty could look to trade veterans Paul Bako, Scott Hatteberg, David Weathers, Jeremy Affeldt, and Kent Mercker.
• Most of the Marlins’ best players will reach arbitration for the first time after this season, which could prompt a trade or two.
• Rosenthal expects collusion investigations to go nowhere.
• The Brewers don’t plan on paying any of the $2.5MM remaining on Derrick Turnbow’s contract in order to trade him.  They might end up losing him and paying it anyway, however.

Hatteberg, 38, hit .310/.394/.474 in 116 games last year for the Reds while facing mostly righties (he’s a lefthanded hitter with a major platoon split).  For that reason, Hatteberg wouldn’t pair well with Carlos Delgado on the Mets.  He’d be better suited to replace Delgado if the Mets release him.  Delgado might have bought himself some time with a two homer game yesterday.

One first baseman who doesn’t hit righties well is Richie Sexson.  Hatteberg could be a good fit in Seattle.

An arbitrary fun-fact from Sherman, "In the past 25 years, just one champion has had a regular first baseman older than 32 (the 2001 Diamondbacks with 37-year-old Mark Grace)."  Delgado’s making $16MM this season, and although 35 is often a notorious age at which batters decline, this cliff fall is not the norm.  Still, a contract of that magnitude will keep Delgado in New York for at least a short while longer.

In Buster Olney’s latest, he speculated Delgado’s release, which seems to be slightly more than speculation at this point.  Olney cited Xavier Nady or Scott Hatteberg as potential replacements should the Mets want to trade for a replacement.  Nady, however, might not be available until the Pirates say "uncle."

Should the 35-yr old Delgado reenter free agent land, what kind of interest will there be?  Most likely less than there was for Frank Thomas, but someone would throw him a bone as he’d be low risk, high reward.  Not unlike Thomas, PECOTA projects a .265-20-80 season from the veteran and while that’s not a $16MM season, it’s still adequate production for many teams from a corner infielder or DH.

By Nat Boyle

• He thinks that Xavier Nady could fit with the Mets or the Indians, but notes that the Pirates are sitting tight for now, hoping to compete this year. They’ll be singing a different tune in July.
• Olney goes on to speculate that the Mets could release Carlos Delgado if he continues his weak hitting. Nady would seem a decent replacement, though he hasn’t played first since 2006. Scott Hatteberg could be another option.
• In what he calls "pure speculation," Olney suggests that the Mariners trade Jeff Clement to the Red Sox for Coco Crisp and some pitching. It’s a rather vague trade idea, and I’d think that the Mariners could fetch a lot more than Crisp if they opted to trade Clement, who is having his way with AAA pitching.
• It appears Jake Peavy wants the Padres to sign Kenny Lofton. With the way Jim Edmonds and Scott Hairston are hitting, I can’t blame him.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

• In his latest "Full Count" audio piece at Fox Sports, Ken Rosenthal expects the Reds to do some roster shuffling that could come down to trades.  Scott Hatteberg has become "expendable" with the recent emergence of Joey Votto and by the fact that the Reds have too many lefty hitters.
• Cork Gaines latest Baseball Blogs Weigh In delved into the Evan Longoria signing.  To add to that, Ken Rosenthal, also in his Full Count piece, notes favorably that Longoria has set himself for life without having to establish himself and that his payday will come at age 31, still in time for a 4-5 year deal.
• The Boston Herald’s reporting Bartolo Colon could opt to leave the Red Sox if he’s not in the bigs by May 1st. Manager Terry Francona hopes he will "forego the decision for a while (most likely until May 15)."  With a recent setback being the reason he’s not in the majors, I don’t see him going anywhere just yet.
• An amusing quote from columnist John Mehno of the Beaver County Times on whether the Pirates can be expected to lock up any of its young talent: "Given the lack of can’t-miss prospects in the system, Pirates rookies intent on becoming instant millionaires should probably keep buying lottery tickets."

By Nat Boyle

• Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros’ Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals’ Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers’ third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu.
• He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt Murton but the Cubs are holding out for a top pitching prospect in return, knowing Murton will be a starter on another club. Rosenthal quotes one GM as saying that the price "is way too high as of now". As many as five teams have shown interest in Murton.
• The Mets are among a dozen teams that have inquired about Brewers pitcher Claudio Vargas, who will not be in the rotation to begin the season. [Update: Sorry about this one. I had forgotten that the Brewers released Vargas earlier this week]
• The Reds have put Ryan Freel on the market, but more teams appear to be interested in Scott Hatteberg. However, Rosenthal indicates that it is unlikely for the Red to trade Hatteberg even if Joey Votto is named the starter.
• The Tigers, Reds and Orioles all tried to acquire backup catcher Brayan Pena from the Braves, but the Braves do not appear interested in letting him go
• Rosenthal says that Pat Gillick’s history in Seattle may have played a part in the Phillies inability to land M’s reliever Cha Seung Baek, who is out of options but made the roster as a reliever.
• Finally, Rosenthal notes that Mike Piazza is still working out with hopes of landing a gig at some point in ’08. Rosenthal thinks that Piazza may have to come to the realization soon that his career may be over.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

• The Cardinals are taking another look at Sidney Ponson.  Insert your own punchline in the comments.
• Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun could see the O’s making a minor trade for a veteran second baseman if they acquire Ronny Cedeno but not Eric Patterson in a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs.
• Brandon Inge is trying his best to talk his way out of town.  The Dodgers’ recently reported nibble hasn’t been publicly shot down, so that’s a plus.
• South Side Sox thinks speedy infielder Eugenio Velez is the type of player the White Sox could desire for Joe Crede.
• Jonathan Papelbon wants $900K in his last year before arbitration eligibility.  Ryan Howard set a scary precedent last year.  If Papelbon doesn’t get offered something close, he’d rather make a statement and be renewed near the minimum.
• Buster Olney suggests Dan Johnson and Doug Mientkiewicz could be possibilities for the Mets in their quest for a backup first baseman.  Olney speculated on Nick Johnson, Scott Hatteberg, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark, and Kevin Millar the day before.

Writing about fantasy baseball on foxsports.com, Halpin is wild on Joey Votto. The Cincy first baseman ranks second in Halpin’s list of rookies to watch in 2008. If Votto comes through, would Hatteberg be trade bait at mid-season?  Hatteberg will earn $1.85MM this year after Cincinnati picked up his option. It’s a bargain for a professional hitter who controls the strike zone.

The Yankees may need a first baseman once Joe Girardi gets tired of seeing Jason Giambi play matador at the corner. The A’s may be attracted by his pricetag if Daric Barton doesn’t provide enough offense.  The Royals and Giants also are possibilities, in my estimation.

Votto joins teammates Homer Bailey and Jay Bruce in the list of eleven first-year players. Boston’s Clay Buchholz heads the list.

By Big Mike Glab

MLBTR readers were more or less unanimously in favor of Dunn’s return.  40 homers at $13MM seems a no-brainer to me.  He’s a patient hitter and the Reds’ most potent bat.  At that price, if the Reds do intend to deal him they will find ample value.  But don’t forget that Reds CEO Bob Castellini told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the possibility for an extension exists.

The Reds were feeling decisive today and also brought back Scott Hatteberg ($1.84 million option) and Javier Valentin ($1.35 million option) while declining Eddie Guardado’s option.  Both options exercised make sense for the Reds at those bargain basement prices.

• Dunn is the big one; his is for $13MM with a $0.5MM buyout.  This is an easy decision to exercise, though it will cause full no-trade protection to kick in until June 15th.  After that he gets to choose 10 clubs to which he would accept a trade.  But I think that if the Reds want him out of town the two parties will find a way to make it work (ie, they’ll give him a million or two extra).
• Hatteberg’s option is for $1.85MM with a $0.15MM buyout.  This is so cheap it’s hard to decline, even if Joey Votto is ready.  The Reds could definitely exercise it and trade Hatteberg at their discretion.  The market for first basemen is weak.
• Everyday Eddie has a $3MM club option with no apparent buyout.  He didn’t show anything, so I’m guessing the Reds will pass.
• Valentin’s option is for $1.35MM with a $75K buyout.  I imagine they’ll exercise it.
• Since we are talking about options, I should add that Moises Alou’s is due on November 15th.  His is for $7.5MM vs. a $1MM buyout.
• Additionally in that same Fay article, Baker denies any tampering with Kerry Wood or Mark Prior.  They didn’t talk about coming to the Reds, and Baker has spoken to over 40 players since he was hired.