Scott Boras Rumors

After unsuccessful attempts at an injunction against Kentucky to bar the university from preventing him from playing and subsequent denial of his appeal, James Paxton will leave the Kentucky baseball program to pursue a professional baseball career.

Paxton was never officially suspended by Kentucky for his refusal to meet with the NCAA about eligibility questions stemming from his and advisor Scott Boras' alleged improper negotiations with the Toronto Blue Jays after being selected in the supplemental round last year.  However, Kentucky also wouldn't allow Paxton to play, saying "due to the possibility of future penalties, including forfeiture of games, UK could not put the other 32 players of the team and the entire UK 22-sport intercollegiate athletics department at risk by having James compete."

James Paxton will leave Kentucky amidst allegations of improper negotiations last summer

It now seems likely that Paxton will pitch for an independent team this spring leading up to the draft.  Aaron Fitt of Baseball America believes that if Paxton is able to pitch well, his draft stock should not be negatively affected much, if at all.  A solid independent season should leave Paxton in the first round discussion.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals denied Kentucky pitcher James Paxton's appeal of a circuit court judge's decision to deny a temporary injunction allowing Paxton to play without being subject to an NCAA interview.

Paxton's advisor, Scott Boras, is being accused of directly contacting the Toronto Blue Jays on Paxton's behalf to negotiate a contract after the Kentucky right-hander was taken in the first round by the Blue Jays.  Such contact would violate Paxton's amateur status under NCAA's regulations and preclude him from playing collegiate baseball.

James Paxton's chances of playing for Kentucky in 2010 seem slim after his appeal was denied

Rick Johnson, Paxton's attorney, wanted to argue that Kentucky's student code of conduct precludes him from having to testify against himself in an NCAA interview.  As such Kentucky would not be allowed to suspend Paxton for refusing the NCAA's interview and he would be eligible to pitch for the wildcats.

"Given that this case was one of first impression and of national importance, and given that it directly addressed whether or not student-athletes are entitled to the same civil rights as everyone else, it is very disappointing that the court of appeals did not even address our constitutional arguments," Johnson said.

It appears unlikely that Paxton, considered a first-round draft pick, will be able to throw for Kentucky in 2010.

Keith Law of espn.com recently scouted Bryce Harper from the College of Southern Nevada and provides his analysis of Harper's professional prospects.

First and foremost, Harper has two undeniable abilities: outstanding raw power and a tremendous throwing arm.  Though he's currently working out some bad habits in his swing, even just a few weeks into his season he's already made noticeable improvement which will help his contact.  Even if he's not a player who hits for average, Law points out that if Harper can hit .250 at the major league level with 30 HRs and throw out 33% of base runners, he'll be a star catcher and thus worth taking with the #1 overall pick. 

Will the Nationals surprise everyone by taking someone other than Harper with the #1 pick?

Almost everyone Law spoke with agreed with his analysis except one scout who said Harper was not in his Top 10 because of concerns about his swing.  While his defense and catching are impressive, if the Nationals do not believe Harper will hit, they shouldn't take him, Law asserts.  More than anything, it's a big risk to take on someone who's going to command far more than his normal draft slot based on his leverage and advisor (Scott Boras).

Alternative to Harper with the number pick start with RHP Jameson Taillon out of The Woodlands HS in Texas.  However, Law points out that no team has taken a high school RHP with the #1 overall pick and does not expect the Nationals to buck that trend.  Collegiate pitching options would be Anthony Ranaudo from LSU or Deck McGuire from Georgia Tech, but both project as #2 pitchers, not #1s.  The Nationals need to make a splash with the #1 pick and Harper is likely their best bet to do so.

The College of Southern Nevada's baseball season started this past weekend and that means the news about 2010's #1 draft prospect, Bryce Harper, will only continue to swell as we head into the heart of the baseball season and then draft season.  Baseball Rumor Mill will keep you up to date on all the news that is written about the phenom.

• CSN head coach Tim Chambers talks about Harper before this weekend's debut in this clip.
• Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal takes a look back and Harper's debut on Friday and his dramatic last at bat.
• Coach Chambers is excited for CSN's season not just because of Harper, but also the talent around him.  CSN is ranked #1 among junior colleges heading into the 2010 season.  BRM took a look at Harper's supporting cast at CSN in a post last year.
• Ray Brewer of the Las Vegas Sun explores Coach Chambers decision not to allow media access to his superstar.  Some think that this tactic is a product of Harper's advisor, Scott Boras, working behind the scenes.  
• Pirates general manager Neal Huntington talked about how raw Harper is as a prospect and is a far bigger risk as the #1 pick than Stephen Strasburg was last year.  

Bryce Harper is sure to generate a lot of news in the coming months

James Paxton's attorneys have filed an appeal of the Kentucky Circuit Court's denial of an injunction against the University of Kentucky.  The request for an injunction was filed as a result of Kentucky's threat to not allow Paxton to play in team games unless he submits to the NCAA's request for an unsupervised interview.  The NCAA is hoping to speak with Paxton after comments by Blue Jays interim president Paul Beeston commented that after drafting Paxton in the 2009 draft, he was unable to speak with him, presumably dealing with Paxton's advisor, Scott Boras, instead. 

James Paxton is looking to play for Kentucky in 2010, not just ride the pine.

Paxton's attorneys are arguing that he should not be forced to testify against himself in a case that could threaten his amateur eligibility.  In a statement issued to the media, Paxton's attorneys said "Make no mistake about it: The Circuit Court found, based upon UK's admissions, that James IS eligible to compete in intercollegiate athletics," Johnson wrote in an e-mail to media on Wednesday afternoon. "However, that court erroneously found that, because the student code of conduct did not apply, James had no due process rights, and therefore that UK could withhold him from competition, in order to extort him to submit to an NCAA interview that it admits it cannot compel him to attend, without any consequence to itself."

This case does not figure to end soon.

Fayette County Circuit Judge James Ishmael denied 2009 first round draft pick James Paxton's injunction against the University of Kentucky.  The school is seeking to prevent Paxton from playing in games during his upcoming senior season after Paxton's refusal to meet with NCAA officials to discuss the events that occurred after he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in June. 

Paxton's amateur status is in jeopardy after Blue Jays interim president Paul Beeston was quoted in a media report as saying that Toronto never had a chance to negotiate with Paxton.  It is presumed that Paxton's advisor, Scott Boras, was the one doing the negotiations, a clear violation of the advisor vs. agent distinction that the NCAA enforces to ensure amateur status for college and high school baseball players. 

Will James Paxton be able to play for Kentucky in 2010?

Paxton's lawyers filled the injunction seeking to bar Kentucky from preventing Paxton from playing in the team's games.  Since the ruling, one of Paxton's attorneys, Rick Johnson, notified the media saying "Friday evening, the court denied my client's motion for a temporary injunction. We have a right to an immediate and accelerated appeal of the denial of the injunction, and we are considering this and other options at the moment."  It seems clear that Paxton has not given up his right to play in the NCAA in 2010.

Paxton figures to be a high draft pick in the upcoming 2010 MLB draft. 

Baseball's general managers gathered recently to discuss possible changes to the MLB Draft system.  While any suggestions must be ratified by the union and nothing is concrete yet, a number of changes were suggested. Buster Olney of espn.com provides us with the highlights.

1. Installation of a slotting system which would predetermine how much a draft pick gets paid based on what position he is selected in.  The hope here is to allow smaller market teams to draft the best talent without fear of a holdout beyond their means to pay the player.
2. As a product of bonus slotting, all players below a certain round would receive the same bonus, regardless of where they were selected.
3. An alternative to a slotting system would be to have a draft budget for each team that they are not allowed to exceed.  The budget would be inversely proportional to a team's finish the previous season with the worst record being allotted the largest budget and the best team the lowest.
4. Opening up draft picks to be able to be traded.  Currently this is not allowed.  By allowing trading, teams that did not want to pay a high draft pick would at least be able to recover the value of that draft pick in a trade.

The impetus behind the changes is that often some of the top talent is sliding in a draft because the teams with the worst records do not or can not afford to pay the top talent.  This is how Rick Porcello fell to the Tigers in the 2007 draft.  It has already been suggested that a player such as Anthony Ranaudo, widely considered a Top 10 pick for the 2010 draft, may slip because his advisor is Scott Boras. 

Will Anthony Ranaudo slip in the draft because teams can not afford to pay him?

Just months after being a supplemental first round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, but not signing, the NCAA is coming after Kentucky pitcher James Paxton.  In early December, the NCAA insisted that Paxton have a one-on-one interview with the NCAA's Director of Agent, Gambling and Amateur Activities, Chance (talk about ironic) Miller, without any representation.  The interview has yet to occur as Paxton's lawyers have filed an injunction against the NCAA and the University of Kentucky from forcing the interview to happen.

According to Paxton, he was informed by a Kentucky employee that he had to submit to the interview and could "not tell anyone, including his parents or counsel, about the interview or the directive that he submit to the interview."  At the time, Paxton's lawyers allege that he was never informed about "the existence or nature of any allegations or miscounduct or wrongdoing against him."

Shortly before the 2009 draft, the NCAA requested the same type of interview with Andrew Oliver who was then suspended.  Ultimately, the case was overturned by the courts and Oliver's status was reinstated.  Paxton has hired Oliver's lawyer in that case, Richard Johnson, as well. 

The point at issue seems to be the NCAA's definition of the right of a player to use the services of counsel in negotiation.  According to the NCAA's arcane definitions of what is an agent and what is an advisor, the only difference between the two is that the latter is not allowed to speak with a team, while the former is.  A junior selected in the MLB amateur draft is not allowed to have an agent, but is allowed to retain an advisor.  Needless to say, the moment after the player signs, his advisor becomes his agent.  

If James Paxton is ruled ineligible, how will that affect his draft status?

Since the injunction, Kentucky has filed a large motion indicating that Paxton's scholarship money and status on the team have never been in jeopardy.  Keith Law of espn.com accurate notes that being on the team and playing are two totally different things. 

Law makes the argument that the NCAA's prohibition of amateur players from using agents to speak to teams on their behalf is archaic and against essentially every other situation in the United States where an individual can retain counsel.  Nevertheless, whatever transpired last July and August, it appears that Paxton's agent, Scott Boras, negotiated directly with the Blue Jays on Paxton's behalf.  With this evidence, the NCAA could rule Paxton ineligible for the 2010 season.  That could have a very dramatic effect on his draft stock.  Paxton would likely leave school and play for an independent professional team.

Mike Lowell trade speculation has run rampant for the past two years, but all the bluster finally seems to be amounting to something and numerous reports are indicating that the Boston Red Sox will trade Lowell to the Texas Rangers for prospect catcher Max Ramirez. 

If the trade is completed the Red Sox will likely have to pay a majority of the $12M remaining on Lowell's contract, which runs only through the up coming 2010 season.  Because the Red Sox will be paying more than $1M of Lowell's salary, the trade is subject to approval by the commissioners office.  Another potential hang up to the trade are Lowell's medical records.  Lowell has a history of injuries and is 35 years old. 

If the Lowell trade is completed, the Red Sox will have to look for another option at third base.  Kevin Youkilis is always an option for the team, having come up through the organization as a third baseman and recently he has split time between first and third base.  The Red Sox have been rumored to have interest in free agent Adrian Beltre, a Scott Boras client. 

In speaking with Boston Globe reporter Peter Abraham, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was elusive, but did not deny the trade rumors.  Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein was unavailable for comment. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post is reporting that if the deal is completed, it will not be for a while.  Nevertheless, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated believes the deal has a better than 50-50 chance of being completed.

Are Mike Lowell's days in Boston over?

The deadline for teams to offer arbitration to free agents was this past Tuesday and Keith Law of espn.com gives us his analysis of teams varying decisions to either offer or decline arbitration with their free agents.

• Billy Wagner was offered arbitration by the Red Sox and then signed with the Braves, giving the Red Sox the 20th overall pick in the 2010 draft along with a compensation pick.  Law loves that decision, but questions the Braves move, wondering how much value they'll get out of Wagner at the expense of the draft picks.  However, it seems likely that the Braves are anticipating losing Rafael Soriano or Mike Gonzalez making the draft picks a wash.  
• The Dodgers did not offer arbitration to Randy Wolf or Orlando Hudson, a clear indication that the team is in desperate financial difficulty and are afraid of the players actually accepting arbitration.  Both are Type A free agents meaning the Dodgers essentially gave up four draft picks if neither signed with LA. 
• Law agreed with the Giants decision not to offer Bengie Molina arbitration and hopes this means that the Buster Posey era - 5th overall pick of the 2008 draft - will start soon.

Is the Buster Posey era beginning in SF?

• Milwaukee did not offer Felipe Lopez arbitration, a curious decision.  Lopez only made $3.5M in 2009, did not have impressive HR, RBI or run totals and is represented by Scott Boras, so it seems unlikely that Lopez would have agreed to arbitration anyway.  Lopez is a Type B free agent and would have netted the Brewers two draft picks. 
• Similarly, the Angels raised some eyebrows by not offering Darren Oliver arbitration.  Oliver had a good year last year, likely would not cost much and as a Type A, if he left, would have netted the Angels two draft picks.  It's good news for Oliver, however, who might have had trouble finding suitors willing to give up a draft pick for him.
• Gregg Zaun and Brian Shouse were both offered arbitration by the Rays who would be ok whether the players accepted or rejected the offer.  Neither would have an unreasonable salary in 2010, but both are Type B free agents and would give the Rays a supplemental draft pick if they left. 
• The Twins have turned a "fringe prospect" into either 1.5 years of Carl Pavano or a half season of Pavano and a sandwich pick in the 2010 draft.