Gordon Beckham
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The 2005 draft had Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki among others.

The 2008 draft had Pedro Alvarez, Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham and Justin Smoak among others.

The 2010 draft has, well, Bryce Harper.

That's not to say there are not other worthwhile players available to draft and draft high, but the 2010 class simply doesn't have the star power at the top or the depth at the back of the class the way previous classes have. 

Does this year's draft class lack of depth impact the way teams approach the draft?  Perhaps take players much higher than they should go in order to save money, a la the Pirates and Tony Sanchez in last year's draft? 

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The 2008 and 2009 drafts were unusually stocked in terms of the quality and quantity of available college bats.  Draft picks from the past two classes including Buster Posey,  Justin Smoak, Pedro Alvarez from 2008 and Dustin Ackley from 2009 all ranked in the Top 20 Aggregate professional prospect rankings.  Gordon Beckham, from 2008, doesn't even qualify as a prospect anymore as he figures to get significant playing time at the major league level for the White Sox this year. 

The 2010 class does not project as well, but Zack Cox and Bryce Brentz remain two bats that are safe picks in the first round.  The issue is the rest of the class.  While Cox and Brentz seem likely to go in the first round, where is the rest of the safe, college bat draft picks that teams who are unsure of high school pitching can rely on? 

"It gives teams more option, more safe options," an NL special assistant said. "We all know how risky it is historically to deal with high school pitching and that college hitters are the best bet. It makes it a tough decision when there aren't enough legit (college hitters) to consider."

Zack Cox figures to be one of a handful of college bats taken early this draft

Both Cox and Brentz figure to be Top 10 draft picks, but still some questions remain about their professional future.  For one, Cox is a draft eligible sophomore, which means he has the ability to return to college for his junior year if he does not like the offer he is getting from whatever team drafts him. 

As for Brentz, he hit 465/535/930 with 28 home runs and 19 doubles in 2009.  One special assistant of a team picking in the Top 10 said "we've already had conversations about this kid and our scouts love him. We're a little afraid he won't be available when we pick. That should tell you something."

In a move that is largely financially motivated - similar to the Marlins trading of Jeremy Hermida to the Red Sox - the Royals have sent outfielder/third baseman Mark Teahen to the White Sox for second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman Josh Fields, espn.com is reporting.

Much like with Jeremy Hermida, Teahen is a player who is entering arbitration and expected to make close to $5M. Because the combined salaries of Getz and Fields was less than $1M, the Royals have given the White Sox some cash considerations in the deal, though no figures have been disclosed.

Though Teahen can play both the outfield and third base, he prefers third base and will be slotted there by the White Sox. This will allow them to move rising star Gordon Beckham over to second base to fill in for the departed Getz.

The White Sox hope Mark Teahen can provide an offensive spark in 2010

Yesterday brought word that the Blue Jays are willing to listen to offers for ace Roy Halladay. Today there's plenty of reaction and speculation.  Let's take a look.

• An intial report has the Phillies as the "leaders" for Halladay, but that is likely only based on their obvious interest in acquiring a pitcher...any pitcher.  What can the Phillies really offer the Blue Jays?  Shortstop Jason Donald is considered their best prospect and after that they have a few 50-100 range ranked prospects, but not the haul that the Jays are likely looking for.
• Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated notes that the Jays were interested in Donald last year. 
• Heyman speculates about how impressive the Giants roster would be if Halladay were added.  That would give them four former Cy Young award winners AND Matt Cain.  Certainly Barry Zito and Randy Johnson are not the same pitchers, but they're pretty good for #4 and #5 pitchers. 
• While the White Sox would not trade Gordon Beckham for Jake Peavy Heyman says they'd consider moving the prospect for Halladay.  I don't entirely understand this unless they actually like that Halladay is only signed through 2010 while Peavy is under contract through 2013.
• The Cardinals seem unlikely to have the prospects to get a trade for Halladay done.
• Phillies general manager Rubin Amaro Jr. said that the Phillies do have the financial flexibility to add an ace pitcher like Halladay. 
• Joel Sherman of The New York Post confirms the sentiment that the Phillies are in the lead for Halladay and notes that the Rangers and Cardinals could be players as well (as we indicated yesterday).  
• In his discussion with Sherman Blue Jays general manager JP Riccardi noted that discussions with other teams has been very preliminary and while they're always interested in teams' best prospect, if they got a shortstop out of the deal, that would be preferable.  However, Halladay does have a no trade clause and has already provided Riccardi with a list of teams that he is not interested in playing for.  The Jays are able to afford Halladay for 2010 if they need to, so Riccardi is trying to give the impression that they are not desperate to move their star pitcher.  He does not, however, think they'd be able to resign him after 2010. 
• Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has given no indication that the team is interested in acquiring Halladay.  That's a bit of a misnomer.  I'm sure they're very interested, but just not for the price tag that it will realistically take to get him.
• Lyle Weber of mlb.com throws out major leaguers Erick Aybar, Joe Saunders or Ervin Santana and minor leaguers Brandon Wood, Sean O'Sullivan and Jordan Walden as possible pieces to group together in a package offer for Halladay.  It seems unlikely that the Jays would be interested in Aybar or Saunders, but Santana could get their attention along with Wood.

Earlier in the day, Kevin Czerwinski gave us an update on the remaining unsigned 2008 1st round draft picks.  Word out of Chicago this evening is that shortstop Gordon Beckham has signed with the White Sox, though details are unavailable yet.