Baseball Rumor News

Justin Morneau is this years Derby winner, so congratulations to him, but I think he should be angry at ESPN for the way they handled post derby interviews. Immediately after runner-up Josh Hamilton made his final out, both finalists walked toward interviewer Erin Andrews. Rather than talker to the winner, she rudely waved him away to talk with Hamilton. While I understand that Hamilton set a record with 28 HR’s in the first round, give the winner his props. ESPN is so focused on Hamiltons wonderful comeback story, that they slapped Morneau in the face. Great story, whatever, but shouldn’t the focus be on the winner. Who cares about second place? Justin Morneau I have an idea…next time Andrews tries to interview you, just snub her and walk away.

I’m surprised that the AL East obsessed network didn’t run up and interview Jeter after the contest was over. That was so rude, ESPN once again appeared as more of E! news trash than anything related to sports.

In Ken Rosenthal’s most recent story (for Fox Sports) he touches on a plethora of trade possibilities that I found very intriguing. It’s a lot of information, so here are some of the key points:

Dodgers after a slugger: Some of the names that came up as targets for L.A> are Detroit’s Maglio Ordonez, Pittsburgh’s Jason Bay, and maybe even Colorado’s Matt Holliday. Bay and Ordonez seem like more realistic options. Holliday would require a boatload of young talent and I don’t think the Dodgers would love the idea of seeing Kemp, Loney, Ethier, or any other guys they have been developing playing for a division rival. For any one of the three OF vets, expect that Kemp would likely have to be included.

Milton Bradley: Rosenthal sees him as a very valuable commodity if the Rangers give up on the season. They got him on the cheap and could collect a couple high-level prospects for him. Bradley is currently leading the AL in OPS. Starters Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla are two other players that the Rangers will entertain offers for.

Pirates OF available: Either Bay or Nady will be traded, but probably not both. One point that surprised me, the Pirates’ outfield ranks first in the majors in OPS.

Cubs want pitchers: The story is already out there, but the Cubs will strongly pursue C.C. Sabathia, as he is the best starting pitcher who appears available. Chicago is also asking about Rockies’ reliever Brian Fuentes. Fuentes, who has assumed the closer role in Colorado, would be used as a setup man if the Cubs acquired him so that the workload for Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood could be lessened.

Brewers still looking for a starter: This is nothing new, but the Brewers are still looking. Rosenthal thinks that they have the minor league talent to bring in just about whoever they want. Whether or not they will be in contention when trades start happening is another question, which may take them out of the ‘buyers’ market.

Yankees making LaTroy available:The Yankees are aggressively shopping right-hander LaTroy Hawkins, two rival executives say, intending to clear a spot for a reliever who currently is at Triple-A, Righty J.B. Cox. Hawkins has a 6.08 ERA in 22 appearances, so don’t expect there to be much interest.

Phillies want relief: Philadelphia wants to add another left-handed reliever to complement J.C. Romero. They really want another starter (C.C. Sabathia) but they realize they don’t have the prospects that the Indians will want.

If you want anymore details, click on the link at the top of the page.

The Dalls Morning News is reporting that the Rangers have sold the contract of Jason Botts to The Nippon Ham Fighters of The Japanese Pacific League. Botts was placed on waivers a while ago, but there were no takers. The DH/OF has openly said that he wants out of the Rangers organization, as he doesn’t like the way he has been handled.

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.

- According to The L.A. Times, there is no deal in the works that would send Chone Figgins to the White Sox. Angels GM Tony Reagins said that he hasn’t even spoken to White Sox GM Kenny Williams.

- Cha Seung Baek has been DFA’d by the Mariners. Baek was also DFA’d last season by Seattle, but he cleared through waivers and was sent to Triple-A. There are so many teams that are desperate for starters this year, that he probably won’t clear waivers again.

- MLB.com reports that the Indians have claimed a relief pitcher off waivers from the White Sox. Oneli Perez will be added to their 40-man roster, where they have an opening due to Jason Tyner being DFA’d.

- The Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers have DFA’d Franklyn German. He had a high rate of allowing inherited runners to score, so Washington, the Rangers manager, had no confidence in the 28 year old reliever.

- According to The Star-Tribune, the Minnesota Twins have claimed infielder Sergio Santos off waivers from the Blue Jays. Santos will head to the Twins’ Triple-A team.

- The Philadelphia Daily News reports that the Phillies are not ready to sign staff ace Cole Hamels to an extension. You may recall that Hamels was one of the young stars that was upset with his compensation for his play.

- The Rangers have waived Ben Broussard. It seems nobody was interested in picking up the $3.85 million owed to him.

- The Indians have designated OF Jason Tyner for assignment. They needed to open up space for lefty Jeremy Sowers who will be needed to make a spot start for the tribe.

- The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cardinals reliever Jason Isringhausen is headed to the DL. This isn’t surprising as, the once dominant closer has really fallen apart this season.

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

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Blue Jays have made two seperate moves to acquire two OF, Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench. Wilkerson, as was anticipated, was signed as a free agent since he was cut by the Seattle Mariners. Mench comes over from the Rangers for cash considerations. Up until now, Mench had been playing for the Rangers Triple-A affiliate.

The Blue Jays also made some roster changes to create space on the roster for the two new OF. They designated LHP Gustavo Chacin and infielder Sergio Santos for assignment, while optioning infielder Joe Inglett to Triple-A.

I have to admit, I always find bench clearing brawls entertaining…even if they are completely uncalled for like the one yesterday between the Mariners and Rangers. Here is a video of the fight if you missed it.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers have designated Ben Broussard for assignment. This is not a surprise and many signs had been pointing to this happening sooner or later. He had already been losing playing time to Catalanotto and Chris Shelton due to his .189 batting average. Now, these two will probably platoon at 1B for the foreseeable future.

“Ben is a better player than he’s shown here,” Daniels said. “I expect he’ll produce elsewhere. But we’ve found a mix that works for us right now.

Broussard doesn’t figure to get picked up by any other clubs, as he is still owed about $3.85 million.