• Baseball executives believe it an increasing likelihood that Kendrys Morales will wait to sign until after the June 5-7 amateur draft, reports CBSSports.com’s  Jon Heyman. If he does so, then a signing club would not lose a draft pick and his former club (the Mariners) would not gain a compensatory choice. Morales has had discussions since the start of the season — Heyman says the Orioles are believed to have had “serious talks” — but apparently nothing is close. In addition to Baltimore and Seattle, says Heyman, possible landing spots could hypothetically include the Brewers and even the Athletics.
• Cubs third baseman Mike Olt, 25, has done enough in the early going to earn a chance at additional playing time, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Though his on-base and strikeout numbers are less than promising, Olt has blasted four home runs in 48 plate appearances. Olt, of course, came over in last year’s Matt Garza trade as something of a buy-low prospect, after eye issues contributed to a rough season at Triple-A in 2013 (.201/.303/.381, with 15 home runs and 132 strikeouts, in 432 plate appearances).
• Outfielder Willy Taveras is eyeing a comeback, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The 32-year-old, who last played in the bigs in 2010, is playing in Mexico at present. Best known for his wheels — he led the league in stolen bases (68) in 2008 — Taveras has swiped seven bags in seven attempts in his first 18 games in the Mexican League, Rosenthal notes. In 279 plate appearances at Triple-A last year with the Royals, Taveras slashed .239/.308/.340 and stole 11 bases.
• With a young staff, the Astros have made the league’s most extensive use of true long relief, writes Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. GM Jeff Luhnow says that the club’s minor league use of a true tandem system is “more of a development thing,” with the big league club’s employment of long men more a “cousin” deployed for “high-pitch count guys.” Looking ahead, though, Luhnow says he “would not be surprised if clubs started to think about some unique solutions to help prevent injuries” noting that “we’re certainly one of them.” Notably, given his organization’s upper-minor tandems, Luhnow observed:“you do it at Triple-A — what’s the difference doing it at the big leagues?” Athletics assistant GM Farhan Zaidi was even more bullish on the possibility of tandem starters appearing in MLB. “I can absolutely see it happening,” he said. “We actually talked about doing it a few years ago when we had pitching depth that wasn’t unlike what the Astros have now. The reason I think it could still happen is overwhelming evidence that limiting the exposure of pitchers to a third time through the lineup is really advantageous.” The full piece includes many more interesting observations from these executives, and is well worth a read.

• The Athletics announced (via Twitter) that Vinnie Catricala has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Midland. The 24-year-old third baseman was designated for assignment yesterday morning after hitting .219/.292/.297 in 33 games at Midland following a trade from the Mariners.
• The Royals released Willy Taveras, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Taveras, 31, hit .239/.308/.340 for Kansas City's Triple-A club in 279 plate appearances this year. The speedster last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Nationals.
• Marlins infielder Chris Valaika cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans, announced the team.  Valaika, who has missed most of the season due to wrist surgery, was designated for assignment Tuesday.  The 27-year-old was drafted by the Reds in the third round in '06, one pick before the Orioles took Zach Britton and 20 before the Yankees grabbed Zach McAllister.
• The Giants re-signed starter Chris Heston, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish.  They had designated Heston for assignment on July 13th, and later released him.  The 25-year-old has a 5.80 ERA in 108 2/3 Triple-A innings.
• Righty David Pauley signed with the Sugarland Skeeters of the Atlantic League, tweets Cotillo.  Pauley, who spent time with the Diamondbacks' Triple-A club this year, has pitched for the Red Sox, Mariners, Tigers, Angels, and Blue Jays.
• Eight players currently reside in DFA limbo: Ted Lilly of the Dodgers, Billy Buckner of the Angels, Humberto Quintero of the Phillies, Hunter Strickland of the Giants, Brandon Inge of the Pirates, Carlos Pena and Ronny Cedeno of the Astros, and Chris Dickerson of the Orioles.

Steve Adams and Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Taveras, a client of Burton Rocks LTD, explained in September that he intends to play at the MLB level again. "I just need a chance to get back in baseball," he told Drellich. Taveras has a .274/.320/.327 batting line at the MLB level with 195 career stolen bases. The right-handed hitter has played for the Astros, Rockies, Nationals and Reds in his seven MLB seasons. He played on two NL pennant winners: the 2005 Astros and the 2007 Rockies.

• Outfielder Willy Taveras is trying to get back to the big leagues after a year away from the game, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich. "I just need a chance to get back in baseball. That's what I love, I love to play baseball," said the 30-year-old speedster.
• Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos approached Travis Snider about a contract extension a few years ago, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Talks became less of a priority as the team focused on trading Vernon Wells and extending Jose Bautista, however.
• Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune looked back at all the contract extensions the Padres handed out this year. Check out our Extension Tracker for the full list.
• The Mariners have named Tom Allison their new director of pro scouting, the team announced. Allison had previously spent time in the Brewers' and Mets' front offices.

Here's some more news from around the baseball world…

• Long-time Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek tells Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that he is "close" to taking a job with the team.  Varitek will likely be a special assistant to GM Ben Cherington, though Edes notes that Varitek's teammates from Boston's 2004 World Series squad think he should be the next Red Sox manager. 
• Bryan LaHair hopes to return to the Cubs next season, he tells CSNChicago.com's Patrick Mooney, though the team currently has no spot where he can get regular playing time.
• Eric Stults' good performances in the Padres' rotation may have earned him a spot in next year's rotation, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Also from Bill Center, he examines the mixed results the Padres have thus far received from the seven players they signed to contract extensions this year.
• Lance Berkman tells Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that he hopes to play for a contender next season, which would seem to eliminate him returning to the Astros as a DH.  (Berkman has also considered retirement.)  Berkman also endorsed ex-teammate Tim Bogar as his choice to be the Astros' next manager.
• Mets GM Sandy Alderson discussed the Ike Davis trade rumors, the chances of the Mets extending David Wright and R.A. Dickey and other topics during a visit to the SNY booth during Tuesday's game.  ESPN New York's Adam Rubin has a partial transcript.
• Willy Taveras is working out and hopeful of returning to the Major Leagues next season, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  Taveras, who turns 31 on Christmas Day, last played in the majors for the Nationals in 2010.

Taveras didn't hit much in his 37 plate appearances for the Nationals this year and hasn't been a serious offensive threat for a couple of years. He posted a .367 on base percentage for the 2007 Rockies and led the National League in stolen bases the following season. He has bounced from the Reds to the Nationals to the Phillies since, without much success.

But the seven-year veteran is relatively young (he's 29) and has plenty of experience (601 games) in center field. He'll provide the Rockies with depth and speed, though he doesn't appear to be the difference maker he was a couple seasons ago.

Taveras, 28, has bounced around quite a bit this season, having split time between the Majors and Triple-A with the Nationals, Phillies, and Braves. It seems like much longer ago than just two years that Taveras led the National League with 68 stolen bases for Colorado, likely due to the speedster's struggles.

Always known more for his speed and glove than his bat, Taveras' offense has fallen off the table even more over the past two years. Since his time with Colorado he's hit .237/.272/.282 over 474 plate appearances with the Reds and Nationals. He's managed an OPS+ of just 47 over that stretch.

• ESPN's Jerry Crasnick runs through a slew of August trade candidates, including Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, and Chone Figgins.
• The Padres originally intended to acquire Jake Westbrook for themselves, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
• Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wonders how teams will value Adrian Beltre on the free agent market this winter.
• The Mets won't try to convince Oliver Perez to accept a minor league assignment again, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  The Mets still don't plan on releasing Perez, preferring him to take a roster spot.
• The Braves released Willy Taveras from their Triple A club, according to the International League transactions page.

Taveras was released by the Phillies on Tuesday, roughly a month after being brought aboard.  That marked the third time the speedy outfielder has been released this year as the Nationals and A's have also cut him loose.  Oakland is on the hook for most of his $4MM salary.

The 28-year-old has a track record of being a solid defender and base stealer, though he has struggled offensively in recent years.  His most recent stint in Triple-A Lehigh Valley yielded a .208/.255/.271 slash line in 104 plate appearances.

After struggling to produce offensively through 37 plate appearances for the Nats, Taveras moved on to the Phillies' Triple A team. He didn't fare much better in Lehigh Valley, where he hit .208/.255/.271 in 104 plate appearances. 

However, Taveras can still point to his age (28), his ability on the base paths (9/9 in stolen base attempts at Triple A) and his record as a solid defender (career UZR/150 of 8.7). Taveras did post a .367 OBP for the 2007 Rockies, but it has been years since he has done much at the plate.

Taveras, 28, hit .200/.243/.257 in 37 plate appearances for the Nats this year. The former stolen base champ was successful in just one of three attempts. He has had trouble reaching base for the last three seasons, but he was an above-average defender (according to UZR) as recently as last year.

Taveras will report to Triple A, where Wise was playing before he opted out, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

Taveras didn't hit much in his 37 plate appearances this year and hasn't been a serious offensive threat for a couple years. He posted a .367 on base percentage for the 2007 Rockies, but like Kaz Matsui, who also played on that Rockies team, Taveras may have trouble finding a major league roster spot because of his recent struggles.

• FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi outlines the unique contract situation of right-hander Chris Resop, who has been a revelation as a starting pitcher this season for Atlanta's Triple-A team.
• A bit further down the FOX Sports Buzz page, Morosi notes that Mat Gamel's time playing first base during his rehab assignment isn't necessarily a hint about Prince Fielder's fate in Milwaukee.
• In response to a piece about the Dodgers' spending under Frank McCourt, Fanhouse's Tom Krasovic relates how L.A. shipped Carlos Santana to Cleveland in the Casey Blake deal rather than pick up $2MM of Blake's salary.  If Santana becomes the star catcher that he's projected to be for the Tribe, Dodger fans might be regretting that $2MM worth of savings for a long time.
• Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants may have Eric Hacker replace the struggling Todd Wellemeyer in the rotation.  Star prospect Madison Bumgarner has pitched well in Triple-A this season, but Schulman thinks the Giants want the young left-hander to have more innings at that level before they bring him up to the majors.
• Troy Renck of The Denver Post writes that the recently DFA'ed Willy Taveras worked out in Houston this week.  The Astros offered Taveras a minor league deal over the winter, so Taveras' workout could represent a rekindling of the club's interest, or it could've just been a courtesy extended to a former Astro.
• Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks Michael Brantley and the Indians would both be better served by having the outfield prospect back in the majors.  Pluto points out that if the Tribe are trying to stall Brantley's service time, then they shouldn't have had him start with the club on Opening Day.
• The Rays have had almost as many key injuries as the Yankees this season, but Tampa Bay's depth made them better prepared to deal with it, writes Steve Slowinski of the DRaysBay blog.
• Speaking of those Yankee injuries, Brian Cashman said today that the club would look within their system to fill the holes, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News.

• Ken Rosenthal writes that the Nationals promoted the 10th overall pick from the 2009 draft, Drew Storen, today. Storen had annihilated minor league hitters across two levels this season.
• Ozzie Guillen understands the reasoning behind GM Kenny Williams' recent public confirmation that he's losing patience with his ballclub, writes Ken Falkoff on MLB.com.
• Two players signed to one-year deals, Justin Duchscherer and Nick Johnson, could require surgeries that would sideline them for most or all of this season. MLB.com's Jane Lee and Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork have the details.
• Bill Ladson of MLB.com tweets that Willy Taveras may not accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers. Taveras was DFA'd by the Nationals last night.
• Luis Ayala has exercised the opt-out clause in his contract, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). The Dodgers will have to add Ayala to their 25-man roster by Monday afternoon or release him.
• Earlier in the week, MLB.com's Chris Haft floated the idea of the Giants moving Aubrey Huff to left field to make room at first base for Buster Posey. According to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, Huff is open to the idea and thinks Posey would do well at first base.
• Speaking of Posey, John Sickels asks who you'd rather have: the Giants' prospect or Carlos Santana of the Indians.
• The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes details the Indians' changing draft strategy, and fields readers' Tribe-related questions in a mailbag.
• Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette lists the top ten best investments made by the Pirates' current regime.

Taveras, 28, logged only 36 plate appearances with the Nationals this year.  He signed a minor league deal in February after being released by the Athletics.  The A's remain on the hook for most of Taveras' $4MM salary.  The speedster's last good season was a 97-game stint in '07 with the Rockies.

Zuckerman also notes that reliever Brian Bruney "appears to be on thin ice at this point."  The 28-year-old righty was acquired to take on a late-inning role, but his fastball's been down almost two miles per hour and his control has been brutal.