Baseball Rumor News

- The New York Post reports that the Yankees have released Morgan Ensberg. He was DFA’d a week ago and the are just going to be stuck paying his $1.75 million.

- The Tigers have demoted Dontrelle Willis to A-Ball following the worst start of his career. They say that they just want him to get back to form, but this is looking like one poor acquisition. Injuries aside, Willis has not even resembled a shadow of his ability from early on in his career.

- According to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Brewers GM Doug Melvin is denying that there is any truth to the rumor the Brewers are interested in Brian Roberts.

- In a Mets press release, the club has announced that they have DFA’d catcher Raul Casanova. Recently he had been on the been on the Bereavement List from June 4th-June 6th.

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have designated veteran pitcher Steve Trachsel for assignment. Trachsel had fallen into a relief role with the club due to his terrible performance this season, going 2-5 with an 8.39 ERA in 10 games this season, the first eight as a starter.

This was Trachsel’s second time around with the O’s and it was hoped that he would add stability to an uncertain/inexperienced starting rotation. The decline in performance will probably signal the end of his career (he’s 37).

Jayson Stark of ESPN recently wrote an article about who he thinks has the potential to be traded as the deadline approaches. It was part of a much longer article, so I have pulled out the list of relievers that he sees as very available. Of course, this can’t be everybody available, but it gives you some names to think about as possibilities.

Closers:
Brian Fuentes - The Rockies appear out of it already, and they have signed Manny Corpas to a long-term deal. With that being said, Fuentes stands out as an expendable arm. He could seriously strengthen a bullpen somewhere either in the closer role or as a setup man.

Huston Street - The A’s are always out to get maximum value for there trades and should a competing team find themselves without a closer, Street would probably fetch the A’s a solid prospect or two. He has been shaky at times this season, but isn’t far removed from being one of the best closers in the game. Oakland is in the mix as of right now, but should the right offer present itself, Street will be on his way out of Oakland.

George Sherrill - I have heard people refer to Sherrill as the ‘centerpiece’ in the Erik Bedard trade. That just wasn’t the case, it was all about Adam Jones. Sherrill came to Baltimore as a dominant left-handed specialist. Now, he is being regarded as a top-level closer. His value is probably maxed out, and the Orioles can expect to get a lot in return for him as they move forward in their rebuilding process.

Chad Cordero - While he is currently dealing with injury issues, Cordero has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the past few seasons. If he comes back healthy and has a chance to show he’s still got it, he will be traded. The Nat’s have no reson to keep him around and should try to get something for him while they still can. His name has been out there as a in trade speculations for a while, it all just hinges on his health.

Jon Rauch - Another Nat’s reliever that could draw interest is the guy that’s been filling in at closer for the injured Cordero. He’s been solid and at the deadline could fetch more than he is worth from a team in need.

Eric Gagne - The further the Cubs pull ahead, the closer the Brewers get to becoming sellers. If they could move Gagne, I’m sure the would love it. He has been anything but a guy you would want to give the ball to in a save situation. I’m not sure why anybody would want to pick him up, especially if the Brewers want somebody to take on part of his $10 million salary. What a bad signing…but at least it was only a one-year deal.

Set-up:
Juan Rincon, Jesse Crain, Chad Bradford, Jamie Walker, David Weathers, Matt Herges, Guillermo Mota, Tyler Yates, Vinnie Chulk, Jesus Colome, Frankie Francisco, Joaquin Benoit, Alan Embree, Ron Mahay, Jimmy Gobble, and Damaso Marte.

Jonathan Mayo now has his predictions for the upcoming draft for picks 1-30. Some have changed, but for those of you that haven’t been keeping up with the predictions here is a list:

1. Tampa Bay Rays: Tim Beckham, SS, Griffin HS, Griffin, Ga.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt
3. Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.
4. Baltimore Orioles: Aaron Crow, RHP, University of Missouri
5. San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey, C, Florida State
6. Florida Marlins: Brian Matusz, LHP, University of San Diego
7. Cincinnati Reds: Yonder Alonso, 1B, University of Miami
8. Chicago White Sox: Gordon Beckham, SS, University of Georgia
9. Washington Nationals: Kyle Skipworth, C, Patriot HS, Riverside, Calif.
10. Houston Astros: Justin Smoak, 1B, University of South Carolina
11. Texas Rangers: Andrew Cashner, RHP, Texas Christian
12. Oakland A’s: Aaron Hicks, OF/RHP, Woodrow Wilson HS, Long Beach, Calif.
13. St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Perry, RHP, University of Arizona
14. Minnesota Twins: Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky
15. Los Angeles Dodgers: Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS, Calif.
16. Milwaukee Brewers: Brett Lawrie, C/3B, Brookswood SS, Langley, B.C.
17. Toronto Blue Jays: Brett Wallace, 1B/3B, Arizona State
18. New York Mets: Ike Davis, OF, Arizona State
19. Chicago Cubs: Casey Kelly, SS, Sarasota HS, Fla.
20. Seattle Mariners: Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane
21. Detroit Tigers: Ethan Martin, RHP, Stephens County HS, Toccoa, Ga.
22. New York Mets: Jason Castro, C, Stanford
23. San Diego Padres: Daniel Schlereth, LHP, University of Arizona
24. Philadelphia Phillies: Anthony Hewitt, SS, Salisbury School, Conn
25. Colorado Rockies: Jake Odorizzi, RHP, Highland HS, Ill.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks: Josh Fields, RHP, University of Georgia
27. Minnesota Twins: Brett DeVall, LHP, Niceville HS, Fla.
28. New York Yankees: Brett Hunter, RHP, Pepperdine University
29. Cleveland Indians: Jemile Weeks, 2B, University of Miami
30. Boston Red Sox: Lance Lynn, RHP, University of Mississippi

Those are the predictions, but we’ll find out for sure in two days.

As the MLB draft approaches, these are going to keep popping up, but this mock draft comes from Jim Callis of Baseball America. They specialize in prospects and other young talent, so you can expect that the closest to reality prediction will probably be this one…
You can see that most of the picks are the same as Mayo’s.

1. Rays - Tim Beckham, SS.
2. Pirates - Pedro Alvarez, 3B.
3. Royals - Buster Posey, C.
4. Orioles - Brian Matusz, LHP.
5. Giants - Justin Smoak, 1B.
6. Marlins - Kyle Skipworth, C.
7. Reds - Aaron Crow, RHP.
8. White Sox - Gordon Beckham, SS.
9. Nationals - Yonder Alonso, 1B.
10. Astros - Shooter Hunt, RHP.

Even though the MLB First Year Player Draft isn’t until June 5th, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has some early predictions for the top 10 picks. He admits that the order is basically a stab in the dark, but this gives a good look at who will be around the first to go.

1. Tampa Bay Rays: Buster Posey, C, Florida State
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt
3. Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.
4. Baltimore Orioles: Brian Matusz, LHP, University of San Diego
5. San Francisco Giants: Tim Beckham, SS, Griffin HS, Griffin, Ga.
6. Florida Marlins: Kyle Skipworth, C, Patriot HS, Riverside, Calif.
7. Cincinnati Reds: Aaron Crow, RHP, University of Missouri
8. Chicago White Sox: Gordon Beckham, SS, University of Georgia
9. Washington Nationals: Justin Smoak, 1B, University of South Carolina
10. Houston Astros: Tanner Scheppers, RHP, Fresno State

He also lists a couple wildcards that should be somewhere near the top: Stanford catcher Jason Castro and Casey Kelly, son of Reds coach Pat Kelly.

Is there anybody you think he missed?

Just like the NL picks, consider these standouts through about 5/10/08, not just April.

According to The Denver Post, the Rockies are one of a few teams that are interested in Juan Castro. The other teams are apparently the Orioles, Padres, and Dodgers. The 35 year old Castro became available after he was recently released by the Cincinnati Reds.

Castro is versitile defensively, so the Rockies might be a good fit. He can still hit a little bit and might find a spot on the roster with Colorado’s injury depleted infield. There is a big hole at 2B and now SS Troy Tulowitzki is out for two months.

- The Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox have designated Bryan Corey for assignment. The move was necessary to make room for Mike Lowell who will be activated from the DL.

- The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have designated Greg Aquino for assignment and optioned Brandon Fahey to Triple-A. Garrett Olson will be called up as a starter and Bob McCrory will be brought up to be used in relief.

- Max Scherzer has been called up by the Diamondbacks and will be used as a reliever. “It’s good that we’re developing him as a starter,” Melvin said. “It keeps our options open.” Watch this kid because he could definitely find himself in the rotation this season if necessity dictates.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports thinks that the Orioles are still very much interested in trading Brian Roberts and that there are several teams that want in. The teams that are most interested are the Cubs, Indians and Rockies.

The Indians have kept there foot in the door ever since inquiring about Roberts this winter. They are most likely out of the picture now though, because adding Roberts would cause them to shuffle around their entire infield around. It doesn’t sound like they would be comfortable doing that mid-season. If they don’t stay close enough to the head of the pack in the AL Central, I believe that they would be ready to shake things up…but they should not fall to far from the top so that’s a big if.

The Rockies are a very possible destination for Roberts. Jayson Nix is starting off terribly slowly, and Colorado has shown interest in Roberts as an upgrade. They have the young talent to make the trade but I’m not sure if they are willing to part with it.

There is no surprise that the Cubs covet the 2B after they spent the entire off season trying to get him. They will stay in the mix until he is traded. I still see the Cubs as the front runner for Roberts because they are willing to offer whatever it takes. Now that starter Rich Hill is getting off to such a slow start, he could also be in the trade mix, where previously he was untouchable.

The Orioles won’t be stopping with Roberts if they do trade him. Once he goes, expect Melvin Mora and Jay Payton to follow. All veterans will find themselves unnecessary in the Orioles rebuilding plans.