Jack Zduriencik Rumors

After being traded to Seattle at the trade deadline, shortstop Jack Wilson has agreed to a 2-year contract with the Mariners.

When Wilson was traded to Seattle in July, he came with an $8.4M option for 2010 that the team declined on Friday and paid a $600K buyout instead.  However, Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik envisioned Wilson as the Mariners shortstop of the future when he traded for him and the team always intended on resigning Wilson.  The contract will pay Wilson $5M per season for 2010 and 2011. 

Wilson had a difficult tenure in Seattle after being traded from Pittsburgh.  Injuries slowed his performance for the Mariners and he hit only .224 in 31 games. 

Jack Wilson will return to Seattle for 2010 and 2011

A few interesting quotes form Tampa Bay Rays scouting director RJ Harrison about the team's preparation for the upcoming draft in this article.  This year's draft is new territory for the Rays who select 30th but haven't picked past #8 since 1999.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik has one piece of advice for his scouting director, Tom McNamara, "Get it right."  Unlike the Rays who pick at #30 and #78, the Mariners have the #2 pick - as well as picks #27, #33, #51.  With so many picks, McNamara is aware of how important the draft is "We've got to get them right. We're trying our best in there to make sure the decisions we make, the people in Seattle in three, four, hopefully two years, can sit back and say, 'This is the core of a playoff, championship, World Series type team. That's what we're looking to do."

Jason Churchill of espn.com looks at Stanford's impressive run as a baseball prospect factory and also presents the cases for a number of other big time schools.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a bunch of updates for us today along with a look at a few players who have fallen out of the Top 100 for various reasons:

• Casey Haerther, UCLA: "Anywhere from the fifth [round] to double digits," one assistant scouting director predicted for Haerther's spot in next month's draft. "He's a guy I'll worry about when it comes to the wood bat, and if he's a 1B or DH, he's going to have to show a lot more power."
• Chris Dominguez, Louisville: The third basemen has hit very well this season, but scouts do not project that he'll be able to play third at the major league level.  His defense puts him no higher than the fourth round.
• Ryan Ortiz, Oregon State: Defense has been a problem for Ortiz as he was moved off of first base to catcher because that's the only place they could keep him on the field.  He's a back up catcher at best at the professional level. 

Around the country:

• AJ Pollock continues to swing a very hot bat and had a strong start to the Big East Tournament with Notre Dame.  His late season surge into the first round continues to go higher.
• Drew Storen was shelled in his most recent outting.
• Grant Green committed his 16th error of the season.  For a player who's draft stock seems reliant on his defense, this is not a good sign.

Churchill also has an update from what Keith Law is hearing:

• The Cardinals are rumored to be interested in Rocky Mount HS outfielder Brian Goodwin with their first round pick (#19) in the 2009 MLB Draft.
• Mike Leake appears headed to the Indians at #15.
• Carlos Beltran's cousin, Reymond Fuentes does not seem likely to get past the Rangers with the 44th pick.
• General managers Theo Epstein of the Red Sox and Andrew Friedman of the Rays were both spotted at the SEC tournament, while Neal Huntington (Pirates), Jack Zduriencik (Mariners), Kevin Towers (Padres) and Brian Sabean (Giants) were all seen at Aaron Crow's outting this morning.
• The Yankees are interested in taking David Renfroe with their second round pick.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports and Peter Gammons of espn.com each wrote articles recently about Stephen Strasburg and Dustin Ackley, the presumd #1 and #2 picks of the draft, respectively.

To read Passan's article, click here.

The Nationals have the #1 pick in the upcoming 2009 MLB Draft and general manager Mike Rizzo does not believe that any member of the 2009 draft class will play in the majors this season.  “I don’t see that in this year’s draft,” Rizzo said. “It’s such an acclimation process for a pitcher to go through, and it’s so very, very difficult, I just can’t see someone doing it.”  While Rizzo did not specifically mention Strasburg, the implication is obvious as he is the only player who anyone feels this would even be possible for.  The only realistic way that Strasburg could see the big leagues in 2009 is if his advisor, Scott Boras, somehow weaves a guaranteed call up into his contract, which some expect to approach $20M. 

To read Gammons article, click here.

We've heard many of the accolades heaped on Ackley to this point and have debated the question of whether he's a first baseman or a centerfielder.  While most suspect that he'll be an outfielder in the major leagues, his coach at UNC insists that, with enough time, he could play second base.  This is music to the ears of Mariners Jack Zduriencik who's club holds the #2 pick in the upcoming draft.  Gammons distinguishes Ackley from the prime bat of the 2008 class, Pedro Alvarez, who, after a protracted contract hold out, finally signed with the Pirates and is hitting .209 in the Carolina League.  Ackley seems to have the same "look" that is often evoked from players like Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer and David Wright.

Jason Churchill of espn.com gaves us two preview today. Click here for his one earlier today. Click here for the most recent one.

• Giants general manager Brian Sabean, Pittsburgh's general manager Neal Huntington, Mariners general manager Jack Zdurencik and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo were all in attendance for Alex White's latest start.
• Mike Belifore had a 3 inning save on Thursday and was throwing 93 mph. He won't go further than the middle of the 3rd round and could even slip into the second round.
• Mike Rizzo told Churchill that they are not targeting a "more signable player" with their second first round pick at 10 despite the rumors of how Stephen Strasburg could be a difficult sign after he is likely taken at #1 by the Nats.
• Who the Padres will take at #3 continues to be up for debate. General manager Kevin Towers likes Donovan Tate. The scouting director, Chief Gayton likes Grant Green. The VP of scouting and player development, Grady Fuson, likes Kyle Gibson.
• Zach Wheeler seems to be the concensus selection for the Braves at 7, but Churchill points out that there were a large number of Braves brass at his most recent and most disappointing start of the spring. If not Wheeler, they figure to take Tyler Matzek or Shelby Miller but are not interested in Tate.
• James Paxton's draft stock took another hit recently when he selected Scott Boras to be his advisor.
• The Giants are rumored to be interested in Matzek and Wheeler with the sixith pick. That could certainly impact who Atlanta takes as they are interested in both.
• Matt Purke is looking for a $2-$3M signing bonus and that has caused him to fall below Matzek, Wheeler, Miller and Chad James.

Jason Churchill of espn.com takes a look at players who still need to impress heading into the draft which is less than a month away.

• USC's Grant Green remains suspect at shortstop.  "I don't think three weeks of good defense tells me Green is a shortstop. If he hasn't shown that yet, he's run out of time" said one scout.
• One talent evaluator has Aaron Crow and James Paxton in front of UNC's Alex White.  "White's command isn't there, and the lack of a consistent breaking ball concerns me."

More from around the amateur ranks this weekend:

• Dustin Ackley continues to impress after returning to centerfield full time this weekend.  "I'd be surprised if he was not their top target," said one scout familiar with the thinking of Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik. "And San Diego sitting there at three, it'd shake up the draft if he (Ackley) fell to four."
• Ben Paulson will likely be selected on the first draft of the draft, but probably not in the first round.
• Brian Pearl, a RHP reliever out of Washington, could go anywhere in between the end of Round 1 and the early portion of Round 2.
• Slade Heathcott will be interesting to watch on draft day.  While he's rumored to have a strong attachment to LSU, he should be a first-day selection regardless.

Jayson Stark of espn.com has put together a great article that looks various arbitration cases that will either go to a hearing or possibly be resolved by the two sides before a hearing.

Ryan Howard

Howard was a landmark case last year winning his hearing and being awarded $10M for the 2008 season, so what can we expect for 2009? Stark has heard estimates that Howard will be seeking $15M-$17M from the Phillies and no one believes that Howard will sign a deal. Rumor has it that the Phillies were preparing to trade Howard this off season, but plans changed after the team won the 2009 World Series. Perhaps that only delays their trading plans until next year, but the longer they wait, the lower his trade value becomes. The last option is to continue the arbitration process until he is no longer eligible in 2011 when Howard will be 32.

Price Fielder

Fielder is seemingly a carbon copy of Howard's case in 2008, but with slightly lower accolades than Howard. Nevertheless, Fielder is a Scott Boras client which means he and the Brewers are likely heading for a hearing. Much like Howard, Fielder also seems content to go through the arbitration process until he is free in 2011 which means the Brewers have to decide whether to trade their first baseman before then.

Cole Hamels

The World Series MVP will probably be looking for $5M in arbitration, just north of what Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang ($4.6M) asked for in his first year of arbitration. While Wang lost his case and ended up with $4M, Hamels is coming off a more impressive season with better accolades. The unknown here is if the Phillies can sign Hamels before arbitration. Historically they have been unwilling to guarantee more than three years for a pitcher, but there are fewer ace-caliber starting pitchers out there and Hamels has been relatively healthy

Jonathan Papelbon

Why the Red Sox and their closer have not reached a long term agreement is anyone's guess, but either way Papelbon seems poised to become one of the highest paid relievers for his service time (three years) in history.

Kevin Youkilis

Youkilis falls into the same category as Papelbon as another Red Sox player who is surprisingly not signed long term yet. The first baseman is only two years away from unrestricted free agency, so perhaps that is his approach at this point. Youkilis made $3M in 2008 and figures to make substantially more in 2009.

Felix Hernandez

New Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik faces his first tough challenge in trying to sign Hernandez to a long term deal, something his predecessors were unable to do. With three years before he's a free agent, Hernandez has to weigh the direction of the club against a long term deal.

Dan Uggla

Uggla's arbitration case is not all that noteworthy with the exception that if he wins his case and starts to make a modest salary, he instantly becomes trade bait simply because the Marlins historically are not interested in paying anyone.

Zach Greinke

Greinke's case is similar to Hernandez in that he needs to decide if the Royals are going in the right direction and that's a team he wants to sign a long term deal with or wait out free agency. 

Justin Verlander

This is another case that is not all that interesting on the surface, but depends on the direction of the team.  If the Tigers do not contend, general manager Dave Dombrowski may try to blow things up and restart and that would likely mean trading Verlander.

Ken Rosenthal from Fox Sports gives us his latest baseball rumors update:

• Bobby Abreu is asking for a three year, $48M contract.  That is $16.5M more than Raul Ibanez received from the Phillies, which seems a bit ambitious.
• If the Mariners are going to sign Ken Griffey Jr., general manager Jack Zdruiencik will make the decision rather than the Mariners owners as some had speculated.
• The Mets may be interested in pursuing Jason Varitek, but they'd have to get someone to take Brian Schneider off of their hands for a deal to make sense. 

Lots going on this past weekend, let's peruse through it.

• Mark Mulder, Mark Prior, Matt Clement and Kevin Correia are all interested in playing for San Diego.
• The Rockies have notified interested clubs that Matt Holliday is available.
• A deal to send Mike Jacobs from Florida to Kansas City fell apart.
• Here is a great piece about new Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik.
• Kenny Rogers is considering pitching in 2009.
• John Smoltz hopes to pitch by May or June and preferably for the Braves.
• Ned Colletti is disputing earlier reports of a $60M, two year offer made by the Dodgers to Manny Ramirez.

The Mariners have hired former Brewers assistant general manager Jack Zduriencik to be their general manager. Zduriencik was known to be one of four finalists for the position along with Jerry DiPoto, Tony LaCava and Kim Ng. DiPoto, however, and not Zduriencik, was considered the front runner early on.