Baseball Rumor News

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 Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Phillies may be willing to move Shane Victorino now that Jason Werth is performing in CF. While it would thin out their OF, the Phillies may try to ‘just get by’ which they could most likely do with Werth and Jenkins. They may find that it is more in the best interest of the team to beef up the rotation.

Victorino will likely draw interest from several teams, especially the Marlins and Padres. The Marlins might not have the pitching to trade right now, but they have been interested in Victorino in the past. The Padres could be a great match, with several veteran pitchers to offer once they call it a season.

Mike Piazza has officially retired. After a 19-season career, the 10-time All Star is hanging it up. He was unable to find work this season, after spending ‘06 and ‘07 with the Oakland A’s. It was rumored that the Cincinnati Reds had some interest in Piazza this year, but it never amounted to anything. Instead, one of the greatest catchers of all time will call it a career.

The Florida Marlins have signed OF Jacque Jones. Since he was let go by the Tigers, it has been all but expected that Jones would end up with the Marlins, but now it is a done deal. He had even said that Florida was where he would most like to play.

This is a solid signing for the Marlins, who now have more options in the OF. Jones is versatile enough to play all three OF positions, but will likely be platooning with Cody Ross in CF. Currently in first place in the NL East, the Marlins have added another weapon that could solidify the leadoff spot, where they have been shaky so far this season.

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.

- The Chicago Cubs have signed Korean high schooler Lee Hak-ju. He is a shortstop that scouts estimate would have been a first rounder if he had been drafted. One scout familiar with him said that he has better tools at this age than Jeter did.

- According to MLB.com, the Tigers were unable to find any takers for Jacque Jones, so they have placed him on waivers. It is expected he’ll clear and then the Tigers will release him, at which time they will pay him the $5 million he is owed. Jones has said that he would prefer to play for the Marlins, which is his likely destination. They are always good for picking up a veteran on the cheap to compliment there young talent.

- Inside Rays Baseball reports that Tampa Bay has DFA’d righty reliever Scott Dohmann in order to make room for Al Reyes, who was activated from the DL today.

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 a little disclaimer, these standout picks are a little bit behind schedule so they are really ‘April+the beginning of may’ standouts.

MLB.com reports that the Marlins have agreed to a six year deal with SS Hanley Ramirez. It will be worth about $70 million, the richest of any contract ever given out by the Marlins. Apparently they have finally decided to pay a young star rather than trade him away for prospects. The signing likely will show that the Marlins are going in a different direction. The club will be moving to a new home in 2011, which is the retractable dome that hosts the Orange Bowl. Perhaps now that they are getting what they want as far as a stadium goes, they will strengthen their roots and begin locking up more young players for the future.

Hey Marlins fans, you may actually be able to buy a Jersey with a name on the back and not worry about the player being around next year!

MLB.com reports that Jacque Jones, who was recently cut by the Tigers, is drawing interest from at least two teams; the Marlins and Padres. Neither team is surprising at this point.

The Marlins are always in on veterans that could come on the cheap. Jones would add some much needed OF help as he can play all three positions. With Josh Willingham on the DL, Florida finds a lack of able players to pick up the slack.

The Padres have a very weak OF situation as of right now and have been openly looking to add some help out there since the end of last season.