Trade Deadline is Here

The trade deadline is at 4:00 PM today but August 31 is the real deadline because a player has to be on a roster by August 31 to make the playoff roster. Every year you see a player traded after the July 31 deadline. A description of how the waiver process works is below

"The waiver wire is a secret within the personnel of the Major League Baseball clubs; no announcement of a waiver is made until a transaction actually occurs. Many players are often quietly waived during the August "waiver-required" trading period to gauge trade interest in a particular player. Usually, when the player is claimed, the waiving team will rescind the waiver to avoid losing the player unless a trade can be worked out with the claiming team."

Other News:

-SI has a story on David Price (Sperl) in this weeks issue. Price is 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 7 starts at AA. He has let up a couple a HRs lately but they are the only hits he is giving up. He will up up for the Rays this season and it might be in the bullpen to start especially if the Rays don't get a lefty specialist before the deadline.

-On the front page of the Sports section of USA Today there is a story about how teams do not want to move top prospects in deadline deals. I think this stems from the success that so many young players are having early in their careers. Also, GMs don't want to look stupid when you trade Bartolo Colon for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips as the Expos did prior to the 2002 deadline.

- Max Ramirez (AP) was sent back to AA. He only amassed 43 ABs
- Phillip Hughes (Sperl) threw 3 scoreless innings on Tuesday during his rehab.
- Max Scherzer (Lotocki) has returned from the DL and is a contender to return to the rotation.
- Clayton Kershaw (Russ) got his first career win and is about to exceed the 50 inning mark.
- Fernado Martinez (Scott) is out again with the same hamstring problem that had him out 5 weeks earlier this season. The Mets say that he is "untouchable" but I think this kid is a bum and the Mets have one of the worst farm sysyems in the Majors need something of hyped prospect in their system.

I will keep you updated if any prospect worth mentioning is moved today.

2008 Olympic Roster

Below is a link to the 2008 Olympic Roster and our farm system only has two representatives with Trevor Cahill and Matt LaPorta. Colby Rasmus was originally on the team but was replaced when he sprained a ligament in his left knee. Rasmus will be out 4-6 weeks with his injury. The Phillies have two players on the team with Lou Marson and Jason Donald making the trip to China.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/2008_olympic_roster.pdf

Other News:

Jose Tabata (NYY) was traded to the Pirates in the Nady/Marte deal. Tabata has been very disappointing this season but he is the 1st 19 year old Yankee to reach AA since Jeter. The Yanks have Austin Jackson (Chad) to become the future outfielder for New York.

Jeff Samardzija, yes that Samardzija who played for Notre Dame, was recalled by the Cubs and blew a victory for Dempster. I hate ND so much that I refuse to mention him any more. Brad Lidge is the only ND alumni I will root for in baseball.

Tim Beckman, who was the #1 pick in this years draft, is struggling at the plate to begin his career. He is hitting .195 with 3 extra base hits in 77 ABS. He is very young and watch to see if the Rays move SS Brignac (Naff) who sucked it up when he was called upon to replace the injured Bartlett.

The Pirates called up Steve Pearce to replace Nady. Pearce was the 2007 Minor League Player of the Year while hitting .328 with 31 HR 54 RBIs. This season he is hitting .258 with 11 HR and 54 RBIs in 93 games. With Jason Bay on the block I would expect Andrew McCutchen to replace him if he is moved.

2008 Draft Picks

Below is a list of the 1st rd draft picks and their contract status. They have until August 15 to sign or they wait until next draft (college seniors), go to college, or college Jrs can go back to school.
Note: Lotocki owns #4 and #11

2008 Draft Update:
1. Tim Beckham (SS, TAM) Signed
2. Pedro Alvarez (3B, PIT) Unsigned
3. Eric Hosmer (1B, KC) Unsigned
4. Brian Matusz (LHP, BAL) Unsigned
5. Buster Posey (C, SF) Unsigned
6. Kyle Skipworth (C, FLA) Signed
7. Yonder Alonso (1B, CIN) Unsigned
8. Gordon Beckham (SS, CWS) Unsigned
9. Aaron Crow (RHP, WAS) Unsigned
10. Jason Castro (C, HOU) Signed
11. Justin Smoak (1B, TEX) Unsigned
12. Jemile Weeks (2B, OAK) Signed
13. Brett Wallace (3B, STL) Signed
14. Aaron Hicks (OF, MIN) Signed
15. Ethan Martin (RHP, LAD) Signed
16. Brett Lawrie (3B, MIL) Unsigned
17. David Cooper (1B, TOR) Signed
18. Ike Davis (1B, NYM) Signed
19. Andrew Casher (RHP, CHC) Signed
20. Josh Fields (RHP, SEA) Unsigned
21. Ryan Perry (RHP, DET) Signed
22. Reese Havens (SS, NYM) Signed
23. Allan Dykstra (1B, SD) Unsigned
24. Anthony Hewitt (SS, PHI) Signed
25. Christian Friedrich (LHP, COL) Signed
26. Daniel Schlereth (LHP, ARI) Signed
27. Carlos Gutierrez (RHP, MIN) Signed
28. Gerrit Cole (RHP, NYY) Unsigned
29. Lonnie Chisenhall (3B, CLE) Signed
30. Casey Kelly (SS, BOS) Signed Injuries:

Trevor Cahill joins High Heat

Scott has picked up Trevor Cahill for his farm system. Every pundit compares him to Brandon Webb becuase he induces so many grounds outs as Webb does. Cahill was drated out of high school in the 6th rd in 2006 by the Oakland A's. He currently is playing for Midland RockHouds of the AA Texas League. So far this season he has posted a 9-5 record with a 2.76 ERA and has fanned 126 while walking 42 in 114.1 IP. He is a GB specialist and has 2.55X more ground outs then fly outs. In 2006 he was 11-4 with a 2,73 and had over a K per IP with 107 K in 105.1 IP. He pitched in the year's future game and has been selected to represent the US in the Bejing.

Other Notes

Rick Porcello (Russ) combined with his bullpen to throw a no-hitter against the Mets in single A. The game only went 7 innings.

Greta Van Sustern is a Packers shareholder and season ticket holder and maybe that is why he broke the story with her.

The Rays gave Tim Beckham, the overall #1 pick this year, a record $6.15 million dollar signing bonus. That is $500,00 more then the previous record held by Justin Upton in 2005

Austin Jackson is a Chili Dog

Chad has picked up Austin Jackson for his Farm System. Jackson is a right handed outfielder from Denton, TX. He was selected by the Yankees in the 8th rd of the 2005 draft. He is currently playing for the Trenton Thunder of the AA Eastern League. Jackson is hitting .282 with 23 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 54 RBI. He has swiped 14 bags while getting caught 5 times. He is listed as the #1 OF prospect for the Yankees ahead of Tabata. In 2007 he hit .304 with 13 HR and 33 SBs. He also is improving his plate discpline with a 47:73 BB:K in 2008 compared to a 48:109 ratio in 2007. The Yankees seem more protective of their prospects as of late and with Damon nearing the end of his career it will be interesting to see who takes over in the OF for the Yanks with Jackson, Tabata and the current LF Brent Gardner all looking to earn the spot.

Switching Subjects:

How much $ did FoxNews have to pay Farve to have him break his silence to Greta Van Susteren? With all the great sports writers and TV hosts he picks a lady who looks like she got hit in the face with a bag of nickels and resembles the guys from the movie Mask!

World Tops Us in Futures Game

The World team defeated the US team 3-0 in the Futures Game. Carlos Carrasco (Scott) got the win for the World team. The game was a bore and pitching dominated as there were only 2 extra base hits in the whole game. The World team attempted 5 SBs and were thown out 4 times. Fernando Martinexz (Scott) and LaPorta (Kyle) had a hit a piece. Below is a link to the boxscore.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/futures-game/2008/266509.html

Dallas McPherson is Going Deep Often

Dallas McPherson leads all of the minor leagues in HR and he really doesn't make many headlines because he is 28 years old. He has spent time already in the majors, with the Angels, and I think he was rushed to the show. He currently is playing in AAA for the Pacific Coast Albuquerque Isotopes and has already has 31 HR this season. He is hitting .301 with 53 BB, 108 K and posting an impressive 1.093 OPS YTD.

Wade Davis (CO) will be promoted to AAA after he pitches in the AA All-Star game. I think he will be traded before the deadline and I think the Rays want to showcase him against better talent.

Travis Snider (Allied Powers) may get called up due to the injury of Wells but Adam Lind will see some of the ABs. He is only hitting .195 in his last 10 games. In my opinion he will be better served staying in the minors for the time being.

Colby Rasmus (Jim) was placed on the 7-Day DL with a strained groin. He has no chance to see any real time this season with Ludwig and Ankiel dealing for the STL right now.

Max Scherzer (Lotocki) has been shut down due to right shoulder inflammation and fatigue. This is a shame for ARI because they really could use bullpen help right now.

Adam Miller (CO) has been shut down with a serious finger injury.

Gio Gonzalez (Kyle) tossed a 1 hitter with 13 Ks on July 4th. Gonzalez has been up and down this season with his 4.56 ERA but has 110 Ks in 102 IP.

Wierd Fact of the Day:
Ervin Santana's real name is Johan Santana. Prior to 2003, Santana went by the first name Johan, but decided to change it due to the success of then Minnesota Twin Ace Johan Santana. According to Ervin Santana, "I just came up with Ervin...Ervin Santana, that sounds good

Dice-K Gets it All

Below are the Perks that are spelled out in Dice-K's contract with the Red Sox:

perks: physical therapist, massage therapist, interpreter, 8 first-class round-trip airline tickets per year between Boston & Japan, spring training housing allowance of up to $25,000, Boston housing allowance of up to $75,000, one-time moving allowance of up to $35,000, use of Lincoln Town Car or similar car, Red Sox player ticket package, including 2 field box seats, team employee to assist Japanese media, uniform No. 18

Player to Be Named Later

Below is the official rule on a Player to be Named Later:

Player To Be Named LaterA transaction including a player to be named later must be completed within six months. The player may not be an active Major Leaguer player during the interval between the trade and the date the player is named. As a result, most players to be named later are minor leaguers.At the time of a trade, clubs sometimes agree on a list of players from which the player to be named will be selected. They also may agree on an amount of money to be exchanged in lieu of a player.Clubs may include a player to be named later in a trade if a player is not eligible to be traded. For example, once a draft pick signs a professional contract, he may not be traded until an entire year has elapsed (the Pete Incaviglia Rule). Additionally, a player on a minor-league reserve list may not be traded between November 20 and the Rule 5 draft in December, so trades during that window may include a PTBNL.

Liriano Heating Up

Francisco Liriano (Sperl) is starting to get his groove back in AAA while playing for the Rochester Red Wings of the International League. In his last 10 starts he is 7-0 with a 3.30 ERA in 62.2 IP. During this stretch he has fanned 64 while only walking 12 and surrendering 53 hits. He has been very tough against LHH as his ERA against them is .84. Liriano was the "Throw in" prospect that packaged him along with Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser to the Twins and the Giants received AJ Pierzynski in return. It is always funny to look back at trades and look at the prospects that are thrown into deals. This shows how much of a crap shoot scouting in MLB has become.

Other News and Notes:

Toronto sent its top executive to Reading to look at prospects. This looks like Allan James (A.J) Burnett may come to Philly. I would assume that the Phillies will not trade Carasco or Gregg Golson but reports are that the Blue Jays are looking a catcher Lou Marson and SS Jason Donald. The upside to this deal is that the Philles will upgrade their rotation but it will come at a price because Burnett is due $24 million over the next 2 years and he has the option to opt out of his contract after this season. Phillies GM Pat Gillick could care less about that becuase this is his last season with the club. This is the same GM that lead the Blue Jays in 1993 to a World Series victory over the Phillies and the Same GM who left the Orioles in 1998 after taking them to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997, the O's have not had a winning season since! Burnett has been in the NL East before and has had success with the Marlins and he has been pitching in the not-so-friendly AL East for the past couple of years. Burnett is a weird dude as he uses customized bats from Ozzy Ozbourne and Marilyn Manson and he comes out to the song Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson. He plays in a rock band called Mad Ink and used to wear nipples rings.

Ryan Howard will be the first player since 1948 to lead his league in HR and RBI and not make the ALL-Star game and I don't want to hear about his BA and K's because Varitek is hitting .218 and Jeter is having a terrible year. I am sounding bitter but Hamels should have made it as well over Aaron Cook who has an higher ERA and Cole has lowered his WHIP to .99 in 135 IP.

Also Von Hayes, former Phillie, is the coach of the Lancaster Barnstomers if anyone cares (The venue of our past draft.)

In Case You Were Wondering.....

I hear a lot about how the Brewers will get 2 early draft picks in next years draft when they lose Carsten Charles Sabathia (not C.C.) at the end of the season. below is the official rule in why the Brewers will get extra picks:

"For Type A free agents, if the team that has the player offers arbitration and the player signs with another team, then the team losing the player gets the signing team's first round pick (if the team is picking between picks 16-30) or second round pick (if the team is picking between picks 1-15) as well as getting a supplemental pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds. Type A free agents are the top 20% at their position (as defined by a set of ratings but they come out shortly after the season and are based on the previous two years performance).

For Type B free agents, if the team that has the player offers arbitration and the player signs with another team, then the team losing the player gets a supplemental pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds. Type B free agents are the next 20% at their position.

If a team loses a Type A/B free agent but did not offer arbitration, they get no draft pick compensation.

Also, I was wondering what the rule is when one of your draftees decides not to sign (JD Drew) after the draft. If you have the 5th pick in the draft and that player doesn't sign, then you are rewarded the 6th pick in the following years draft. It really doesn't happen all that often.

Matt LaPorta to the Indians

Matt LaPorta was traded to the Indians along with RHP Rob Bryson, LHP Zach Johnson, and a player to be named later for CC Sabathia. LaPorta is the keystone to this deal and may see time this season for the Indians. LaPorta went to college at the University of Florida and is a right handed power hitter who can play OF and 3B. He was playing in AA for the Huntsville Stars of the Southern league before he was traded.

2008 Stats YTD
AVG: .288
2B: 23
HR: 20
RBI: 66
BB: 45
K: 63
OPS: .978

I have seen him ranked as the 15th best prospect in all of minor league baseball and I am very surprised that the Indians didn't land Matt Gamel as well to replace Casey Blake at 3B. The Indians could also move him back to 3B instead because he was moved to the OF to make room for Gamel.

Jayson Stark was on the Jody McDonald show 950 ESPN and said that the Phillies wouldn't give up Carrasco or AA catcher Lou Marson to get the deal done. The Phillies don't have a position player in their organization that is even close to LaPorta right now. As a Phillies fan, I have no idea why they wouldn't move Carrasco and now we have to wait on Harden or Burrnett.

Wade Davis to Colorado?

According to the Denver Post, the Rays are prepared to make an offer for reliever Brian Fuentes.The Rays have reportedly had scouts at Coors Field all weekend. Rays prospects Wade Davis (CO) and Jeremy Hellickson are mentioned in the article as possible trade bait.

The Rays have JP Howell who is a lefty specialist in the bullpen already and I think SP would be better for the Rays. The stock of Wade Davis would drop as he would have to pitch in Coors field.

The Sabathia sweepstakes is starting to pick up and the Dodgers and the Brewers have joined in the race. The Brewers have LaPorta (Kyle) and Matt Gamel to give to the Indians. The Phillies have entered the fold for CC and last night on Baseball Tonight they said the Phillies were the favorites to land him. Carlos Carrasco will only miss 1 start and there is no major damage to his shoulder. The deadline deals will affect the stock on the minor leaguers who are involved as playing time may come faster with a new ball club.

Reid Brignac (Naff) has been recalled by the Rays to fill in the Jason Bartlett who is on the 15-day DL with a sprained knee. He will be splitting time with Ben Zobrist.

Jacob McGee meets Tommy John

Jacob McGee (Allied Powers), who is the #3 rated prospect in the Rays system is out for the season and will undergo Tommy John surgery on July 8th. This will push his timetable to reach the majors back to 2010. The injury came on June 22 during the second inning of his outing. This may not seem like a big deal for the Rays who own the majors best record and the best farm system in the league, but this injury is bigger then first thought. The Rays are probably going to make a move for a starter before the deadline (Sabathia, Burnett, Bedard, Maddux) and McGee has been getting scouted by teams that may become sellers as they fall out of contention. Now the Rays still have Price, Wade Davis, Jeff Neimann as pitching prospects to deal and I only think they move Price in a Sabathia deal. They also have Reid Brignac (Naff) to deal beacuse they drafted Tim Beckman with the #1 pick in this years draft.

Other Notes:
Clayton Kershaw was sent down to AA. He only threw 38 innings in the big leagues so he only has 12 innings until he would have to be removed from my farm system.

Carlos Carrasco (Scott) was scratched on Wednesday after he felt tightness in his shoulder during warmups. This would be a huge blow to the Phillies as they were looking to move him to get another SP before the deadline. JA Happ was recalled from Lehigh Valley to replace Brett Myers in the rotation.

Tom Verducci, SI senior writer, was on Mike and the Maddog 660 WFAN, and he thinks that Sabathia will go to the Rays and they will not have to give up Price (Sperl).