It was depressing to learn that the talented writers at Fire Joe Morgan are calling it quits after years of providing entertaining criticism of the mainstream sports media. From the Joe chats to food metaphors, Ken Tremendous, Junior and dak used humor to spread the word about sabermetrics. During college, visiting the site was one of the first things that I would do every morning. Now, college is over and FJM is not more. The way I see it, things can only go up from here.

Deadspin posted an entertaining, though sad, exit interview with the guys, each Hollywood writers. It is a great read.

Michael Schur, who writes under the pseudonym Ken Tremendous, has been a lead writer on The Office and played Dwight Schrute's cousin, Mose, in a few guest cameos. It is going to be hard to watch the show in the future without thinking about David Eckstein or Darin Erstad.

*Jeff Passan, a survivor, offered an excellent tribute to the blog at Yahoo! Sports.

*Peter Gammons has a new post up on his blog at ESPN.com. Gammons offers some interesting insights. He wonders why Hanley Ramirez finished 11th in the voting. I completely agree with him on that front.

Ramirez is not a great defensive shortstop, but, considering his position, he is a stud offensive player. He batted .301/.400/.540, with a 146 OPS+ and 33 home runs as the anchor of the Marlins' power-hitting infield. He also scored 125 runs.

*Albert Pujols clearly deserved to win the award, but the voters erred in a lot of their other secondary votes. It was surprising that Lance Berkman did not garner more serious consideration as well; he finished fifth.

Within the piece, Gammons also says that the Atlanta Braves are still in the running in the Jake Peavy sweepstakes. Frank Wren, according to the blog post, is intent on getting a deal done. There is also word that the Yankees are not in the running. In my opinion, it would be unwise for Peavy, the ace of the San Diego Padres, to accept a deal to the American League, where his numbers would surely suffer.

*According to Jon Heyman, Pedro Martinez is planning to pitch in 2009. Ben Reiter of SI.com ranked Martinez 44 in his Top 50 available free agents. He is an injury risk, of course, but his agent told Heyman that he is fully healthy for the first time in a while. After missing the first four months of the season with a hamstring injury, he posted a 75 ERA+ in 20 starts for the New York Mets. I had Martinez ranked higher in my Top 50, which I will be releasing later this week.

*Jeremy Affeldt signed with the San Fransisco Giants on Monday. Affeldt was one of the premier relief pitchers available in this free agent class, so credit the Giants for locking him for only two years, at a relatively cheap price of $8-million. As Dave Cameron writes, the left-hander is seriously underrated, and is coming off an excellent performance with the Cincinnati Reds. He posted a 3.33 ERA in 74 appearances, striking out 80 in 78.0 innings pitched. His 9.19 K/9 rate was the best of his career as his average fastball velocity jumped from 92.4 to 94.6, according to FanGraphs.

Brian Sabean deserves some praise for locking up one of the under-the-radar prizes in this class. Sabean has had some blunders, from the infamous trade with the the Minnesota Twins to the Barry Zito fiasco, but he pulled off a steal here. It looks like that Eckerd College degree has done him some good after all.

*Pujols won his second M.V.P. on Monday, and Joe Posnanski writes that it is time to give him due credit for his out-of-this-world-abilities as a baseball player. I have received some emails arguing why Ryan Howard deserved to win the award.

Although I touched on this in an earlier post, let us look at the data one last time from a comment I left on the other article.

Pujols’ monthly performance:

April—.365/.523/.594/1.117
May—.373/.454/.706/.1.160
June—.302/.444/.558/.1.002
July—.347/.413/.564/.977
August—.398/.491/.745/1.236
September—.321/.427/.702/.1.129


Howard’s monthly performance:

April—.168/.298/.347/.645
May—.238/.344/.590/.934
June—.234/.287/.439/.726
July—.311/.366/.612/.978
August—.213/.328/.463/.791
September—.352/.422/.852/.1.274


Howard was better in one month, September, but not by much. Take that away and he would be hovering around near league average slash stat numbers at the position. He was brutal in August, and a non-factor for half of the year. Do those games not count?

Counting stats are misleading, context-driven. In the stats that count, Pujols had better numbers. He had more hits, doubles, walks, stolen bases, runs extra-base hits, and a higher BA, OBP, slugging, OPS. In the advanced metrics, he ranked first in the league—and considerably higher than Howard—in adjusted OPS+, runs created, adjusted batting runs, batting wins and offensive winning percentage (essentially, a team of nine Pujols in the lineup would have had the highest winning percentage of any other player).

Pujols also had a 98.7 VORP—value over replacement player—compared to Howard’s 36.6. That does not account for defense, but is great at distinguishing real offensive value. Nearly two-thirds higher.

Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins each finished with higher totals in VORP on the Philadelphia Phillies, as did pitchers Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer. The stat is not perfect, but is pretty solid at determining actual value, not perceived value—like if we took him away, and so forth.

The Phillies still would have been dangerous even with an average offensive 1B—Mike Jacobs, for instance—instead of Howard, who was not the M.V.P. of his own team let alone the entire league.

Pujols also grades out as a better defender in every metric.

Your honor, the defense rests.

*It was shocking that Utley, who hit 32 home runs and played exceptional defense at the keystone, finished 15th in the voting. Cameron agrees.

*And, on a sad note, former Rice star Wade Townsend underwent surgery on his right shoulder this week. Towsend, the Tampa Bay Rays' first-round pick back in 2005, has battled injuries since signing, and is now likely to miss the 2009 season. His days in the organization may be over as a result. The 25-year-old right-hander made three starts in the Arizona Fall League before sustaining the injury.

The Matt Holliday deal received most of the attention this past week, but there were a number of other under-the-radar moves that were overshadowed by the latest chapter of the Billy Beane story.

The Florida Marlins continued to dump payroll, trading three more players who were eligible for big raises in arbitration. The Marlins made one of the first moves of the Hot Stove season when they dealt power-hitting, low-OBP first baseman Mike Jacobs to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for reliever Leo Nunez a few weeks back. They stayed on course with their plan this past week, dealing away Kevin Gregg, Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham in two cost-cutting transactions.

Olsen and Willignham are headed to the Washington Nationals, who sent second baseman Emilio Bonifacio and a pair of minor leaguers down to Florida in return.

The Marlins were clearly looking to wash its hand of the pair for financial reasons. The Nationals, though, received some solid immediate help in this player swap.

Olsen has had some serious off-the-field issues in the past, but reportedly made strides as a person this past year. He has above-average stuff for a left-hander as well, which is why he was a top prospect not too long ago. Although his average fastball velocity dropped nearly three miles per hour, he had a respectable, but not spectacular finish; 201.2 innings pitched, 4.20 ERA, 101 ERA+.

However, Olsen does not miss bats as frequently as many scouts expected when he was considered a top prospect. In fact, his K/9 rate has steadily decreased since his strong rookie performance in 2006--8.27, 6.78, 5.04. He has been prone to giving up the long ball as well, having allowed 59 in the past two seasons. He is still only 24 years old and has proven to be durable in his recent past, but his ceiling is fairly limited if he does not regain some velocity.

If Olsen can do so, there is a chance for the Nationals to add a difference-making lefty to their starting rotation for a fairly cheap price.

Willingham is an above-average offensive player with solid on-base skills. He has decent power (45 home runs from 2006-07), but excellent plate discipline is the biggest area of strength in his skill set. The outfielder, in an injury-plagued campaign, posted a decent line of .254/.364/.470, with 15 homers, in 351-at bats in 2008. The Nationals' outfield is getting crowded quickly, but he has a chance to add a significant boost to an anemic offense that is starved for players who get on base. He is a poor defensive corner outfielder, which negates some of his contributions at the plate. Still, he is a bargain in cost relative to the market value for his production; he has a career .472 slugging percentage and 117 OPS+.

The Nationals are miles away from putting good enough of a product on the field to realistically compete in the N.L. East; Jim Bowden is still the general manager, after all, and this deal is by no means destined to push them over the top. To his credit, though, Bowden acquired two low-risk, high reward options who could each breakout in a new environment, improving his roster in the short term.

On the Marlins' end, they received a decent utility man in Bonifacio, who has batted .240/.300/.328 in 192 major league at-bats. He is a solid infielder defensively, with the ability to play multiple positions effectively. While he is still young, he is never shown much offensively--outside of a strong performance in the California League in '06, when he posted minor league highs in batting average, OBP and slugging percentage--and does not project as even a league average hitter in the majors.

Florida also picked up two low-level minor leaguers, P.J. Dean and Jake Smolinski.

Dean was selected in the seventh round back in 2007 out of a Texas high school. He had a so-so short-season debut in the Gulf Coast League once he signed, posting a 4.06 ERA in only nine starts. He had some success in the New York Penn League in his second pro stint; 4-1 record, 1.57 ERA, 34 strikeouts, 16 walks in 46.0 innings pitched over 10 starts for the Vermont Lake Monsters. In the long run, he could end up blossoming into a legitimate big league prospect but he still is several years away from adding any value at the major league level.

Smolinski will miss all of 2009 after undergoing knee surgery. The Nationals' second-round selection in '07, he was considered one of the best prep hitters in the nation during his senior year of high school. He played some second base and the outfield during his career so far, yet still lacks a real position at this point. He is an interesting hitting prospect who makes good contact, but is not expected to hit for a lot of power. In 77 games combined between three levels, he batted .271/.345/.395, with four homers and a .740 OPS.

Considering its primary intention, Florida adds two high school draftees who could develop while receiving some salary relief. Washington still appears to be the winner here.

The Marlins gained a lot more than the opportunity to free up some payroll in their deal with the Chicago Cubs, getting back promising right-handed pitching prospect Jose Ceda.

With the Gregg move, Chicago has officially cut its ties with free-agent closer Kerry Wood, who was looking for at least a three-year deal. Wood's replacement, Carlos Marmol, had an excellent year in a setup role and should pick up a ton of saves when given the chance. Unfortunately, the Cubs' new reliever is really not as great as advertised, and is a clear downgrade in the setup role when compared to the Marmol/Wood combination. He has been effective by mixing a sinker, split-fastball and slider in the recent past, enabling him to win the closer role in Florida in '07. It is easy to get fooled by his 61 saves since then, though, which are a function of his being just decent enough to gain the opportunity for so many chances more than anything else. His control is subpar--77 walks allowed since '07--and he has a 4.00 career ERA.

It is misguided to criticize Chicago for not locking up Wood to a long-term deal, given his injury history. However, it is surprising that they parted ways with Ceda, who has excellent stuff, a live arm and the chance to be special. He posted a 12.46 K/9 ratio in 22 relief appearances in Double-A in '08, striking out 42 in 30.1 innings. In fact, the soon-to-be 22-year-old has posted high strikeout totals at each stop in the minors, using a mid-90s fastball/slider mix to overmatch young hitters. He is a nice pickup for the Marlins, who were going to cut Gregg loose, anyway, since he is due to make around $3-million in arbitration.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

I will be appearing on the Sports Cafe with Sean Duade on Sunday morning to discuss the latest news on the Hot Stove.

Click here to listen live. I will be coming on at 11:20

Nate McLouth had a breakout season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .276/.356/.497, with 26 homers and 94 RBIs. McLouth, who earned the Pirates’ starting center field job in spring training, made his first All-Star team while emerging as a legitimate offensive force. In 152 games, he collected 46 doubles and four triples, scored 113 runs and posted a solid .853 OPS to lead his team in every major offensive statistical category.

McLouth played all three outfield positions throughout the year, serving as the only regular outfielder on the Pirates to remain with the club through the full season. Jason Bay and Xaxier Nady, of course, were dealt to contenders in exchange for prospect packages before the trade deadline. He spent the majority of his time in center, though, and finished second among major qualifying major league outfielders with a .997 fielding percentage. In 1300.1 innings, he collected 380 putouts, sixth among center fielders in all of baseball, while making only one error and compiling five assists.

For these numbers, it seems, the coaches and managers rewarded McLouth, 27, with his first career Rawlings Gold Glove Award on Wednesday afternoon. He joined Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets and Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies as Gold Glove recipients for outfielders in the National League. Unlike Beltran, though, he did not deserve the award, and, in all honesty, should not have been seriously considered.

In John Dewan’s plus/minus defensive rankings—perhaps the most valuable metric used to evaluate defensive value—McLouth ranked as the least effective defender at center field in the majors. He finished with a -40 rating, which was the worst total among all outfielders overall as well.

Beltran, on the other hand, finished with a +24 rating. The New York star, who was recognized by Bill James in the 2008 Fielding Bible Awards, had a fine year roaming the gaps in the final year at Shea Stadium.

It gets worse for McLouth, though. According to Baseball Prospectus’ defensive data, he was 17 runs worse than the average major league center fielder. He also finished 11th in range factor and 17th in zone rating.

Essentially, McLouth has terrible range, and did not convert as many balls hit into a certain area as nearly every other player at the center field position. Which is what matters most. While he was sure handed in the plays that were hit near where he was positioned, he had a difficult time getting to balls out of his zone.

Clearly, the coaches and managers relied on three things to make their decision here: subjective opinions (what they saw with their eyes, in the brief encounters that they had against the Pirates), his offensive output (which should not play a factor in the decision process for a fielding award) and traditional (and meaningless, on their own sometimes) statistics like fielding percentage, which does not account for balls that certain players cannot get to due to poor range.

The Gold Glove award system has lost a lot of its prestige in recent years. First, there was the voters' egregious error during the Rafael Palmeiro fiasco in 1999, when the Texas Rangers slugger played in only 28 games at first base yet somehow managed to take home the prize at his position.

Then, in several instances in the past decade, many outstanding offensive players, and mediocre fielders, earned the hardware based on their offensive output and reputation. Russell Martin, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ backstop, provides a recent example, in 2007, when Yadier Molina was so far superior behind the plate that it was almost comical.

Yet again, even though there is still not perfect metric out there to evaluate defense yet, objective data has proven to be more useful than relying on subjective images and overrated traditional stats.

And, with every McLouth gaffe, winning a Gold Glove Awards become less of an honor on a player’s resume.

Full List of Gold Glove Winners:

P: Greg Maddux, Los Angeles Dodgers—Although Maddux is terrible at holding runners on, he fields his position like a seasoned infielder. Expected to retire, this marks his 18th, and likely final, Gold Glove award, which is by far a major league record. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer finished second in all of baseball, behind only Kenny Rogers of the Detroit Tigers, in John Dewan’s plus/minus system (+14).

C: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals—Molina deserved to win the award in 2007 as well, but the voters do deserve some credit for finally getting it right this year. The 26-year-old backstop, who recently won the Bill James Fielding Bible Award and was named the best defensive catcher in the majors, was one of five first-time winners.

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres—Gonzalez had an incredible season offensively for the Padres, posting an excellent .871 OPS in spacious Petco Park. For this reason, he tends to get overlooked overall while playing in a small market. As far as this award goes, however, he is not the most deserving candidate for the first base position in the National League. Again, it seems, his fielding percentage (.996, which tied for first in the Senior Circuit, with the most chances) played a huge factor here, allowing Gonzalez to win his first Gold Glove.

But some under-the-radar guy named Albert Pujols actually should have won the award. Pujols, a three-time Fielding Bible Award winner, ranked among leaders at the position in nearly every defensive category, advanced to traditional. A sensational athlete, he posted a +20 ranking in the Dewan system, second in the game at first base behind Mark Teixeira, and the highest range factor and zone rating at the position in his league. Throw in Pujols’ 1.013 OPS and a likely M.V.P award and it truly is difficult to make a case for anyone else as the best player in baseball at this point.

2B: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds—No complaints here, as Phillips is arguably the majors’ best defensive second baseman. One could make the case for Mark Ellis or Chase Utley, but the former shortstop was the lone bright spot in the Reds’ atrocious infield defense. Like Gonzalez, McClouth and Molina, he is a first-time winner. Unless he moves back to shortstop, his original position while rising up the ladder as a prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ farm system, adding Gold to his trophy case may become an annual occurrence for him.

3B: David Wright, New York Mets—Wright gets a lot of flack in New York for his errant throws, but that unfair criticism is seriously misguided. While there were not any sensational wizards at the hot corner in the N.L. this year as most of the third base leaders in the Dewan system played in the other league, the Mets star infielder is a decent choice.

However, Pedro Feliz, Troy Glaus, Chipper Jones and Ryan Zimmerman would all be solid options here as well.

SS: Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies—Rollins is the best defensive shortstop in the game, with soft hands, excellent range and a plus throwing arm. With his presence at short, Pedro Feliz at third base and Utley at second, the Phillies have a solid defensive infield, even with Ryan Howard at first base. Bill James and co. recently rewarded the switch-hitting SS the Fielding Bible Award as well. He ranked first among N.L. shortstops in fielding percentage (.988), third in range factor (4.52) and second in zone rating (.855).

Rollins also finished first among all major league shortstops with a +23 ranking in the Dewan system. Case closed.

OF: Carlos Beltran, New York Mets—Best defensive center fielder in the game.

OF: Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates—For those who have a poor short-term memory, reread the main story above.

OF: Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies—Victorino is solid, with above-average range (.899 zone rating, second among CF behind Corey Patterson), but this decision is a bit questionable as well. Cody Ross, of the Florida Marlins, and Chris Young, the center fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, each ranked higher in Dewan’s system. Young, in particular, seems more deserving.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com

Just a day after the completion of the World Series, two teams made a fairly interesting player swap this morning. The Kansas City Royals, looking to improve one of the majors’ worst offensive units, acquired power-hitting infielder Mike Jacobs in exchange for a serviceable reliever, Leo Nunez.

At first glance, one might think this is a steal for the Royals.

Mike Jacobs hit a career-high 32 home runs in 477 at-bats while driving in 93 runs. One of four Marlin infielders to join the 25-home run club, he posted the third-best homer-per-at-bat ratio in baseball, 14.8. Kansas City, meanwhile, ranked near the bottom of the pack with 120 home runs as a team. Even more telling, the club has not had a player hit 30-plus home runs since Jermaine Dye did so back in 2000.

It makes sense, right?

Well, no. The problem is that, while Jacobs hit for some power, he had a poor offensive season overall. The 28-year-old first baseman, due for a big salary boost in arbitration, posted a weak slash stats line of .247/.299/.514 and drew only 36 bases on balls while striking out 119 times. His on-base skills, or lack thereof, have been a serious weakness his entire career (.318 OBP), and the last thing that the Royals need is another consistent outmaking machine added to the lineup.

Did Dayton Moore not learn from his mistakes during the Jose Guillen fiasco? Moore stressed the importance of on-base percentage in several interviews earlier this fall, perhaps having finally realized the correlation between OBP and how many runs a team will score over a full season.

The Royals are coming off a season in which they ranked 26th in the majors with a .320 team OBP, on the way to finishing 25th in the majors with only 691 runs scored.

That is no coincidence, kids.

Moore, tired of losing and watching such an anemic offense struggle to plate runs on a consistent basis, seemed ready to address this.

Guess again.

Adding Jacobs will only makes matters worse, preventing them from putting a capable enough offense on the field to realistically compete for anything meaningful. Sure, he is only 28 years old, hits for some power and could easily connect for 30 homers and knock in 100 in 2009, at a relatively low cost.

The problem is, for a first baseman, Jacobs is not a league average offensive player. With a career OPS+ of 110—league average is 100—his offensive output leaves a lot to be desired. His OPS suffers mostly because of his inability to get on base via the walk, and is slugging percentage heavy. Like several other left-handed hitters, he struggles mightily against lefties as well, making him an ideal platoon player. In 119 at-bats against southpaws in 2008, he posted a poor line of .218/.248/.429, with only seven homers and a .677 OPS.

Jacobs is also a butcher at first base, ranking as one of the worst defensive players at the position in the majors.

No, the Royals are not giving up a whole lot in Nunez, who posted a 2.98 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched. Still, he is a cost-effective, team-controlled asset who perhaps could have brought in more in return. A power arm who at 25 appears to be entering his prime, he should fit in nicely in the backend of the Marlins' bullpen.

Jacobs' salary is expected to jump to a little under $4-million at arbitration. Therefore, it was wise for Florida, which had the smallest payroll in baseball, to deal him now. He was expendable in the Marlins' eyes, quite frankly. The club still has a great deal of power in their infield, with Jorge Cantu (29 home runs, .808 OPS), Hanley Ramirez (33 home runs, .940 OPS) and Dan Uggla (32 home runs, .874 OPS). Cantu, who spent most of his time at third base, can shift over to first.

Top power-hitting prospect Gaby Sanchez, 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, is close to reaching the show as well. Sanchez, 25, had a big year in the Southern League, posting a .917 OPS for the Carolina Mudcats. A local product who played his collegiate ball at the University of Miami, he finished with a line of .314/.404/.513, with 17 homers and 92 RBIs. He made a brief debut in the majors during September, but appears ready to take on a full-time role in the near future.

From the Royals' side, this deal is puzzling. Jacobs is simply a below-average offensive first baseman, and is the last player the Royals needed to add to the roster at this point. In addition to his poor on-base skills, Kansas City already has a logjam at the position, with Billy Butler, Ross Gload, Ryan Shealy and others expected to compete for a job in spring training.

Moore has been infatuated with his new player for a long time, and wanted to pull the trigger on this deal at the July 31 trade deadline, which may have clouded his judgment here. Perhaps he feels that Jacobs will suddenly improve upon his inability to get on base.

At least Jacobs seems to think so, telling MLB.com, "I still truly believe that I'm not a .240 hitter in the big leagues. I think the power numbers are going to stay there. I think the RBI numbers will stay there, if not be higher," he said. "The biggest thing I need to work on this [upcoming] year is being more of a complete hitter, being able to go the other way more, being able to not stay in a slump quite as long. If I get 10 more hits this year, I'm hitting .270 and my on-base percentage is .320."

Well, his track record tells us otherwise.

So, with Guillen and Jacobs getting so many at-bats in the middle of the Royals’ lineup, things could get ugly next year in Missouri.

By making continuous similar decisions like this, the Royals seem to be headed nowhere under Moore. Many people point to the Tampa Bay Rays' worst-to-first turnaround as proof that any team can turn it around and compete for the playoffs in less than a year.

Well, every team cannot do so.

The reason? Not every team has a brilliant GM like Andrew Friedman, who is tremendous at buying low and selling high, and such an excellent farm system and player development department. Clearly, this applies to the Royals, who still overpay for counting stats that do not have a direct effect on scoring runs and thus winning.

Check RaysDigest.com for analysis on every transaction during the Hot Stove season. To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Grant Paulsen (right)

Grant Paulsen, who has been an accredited member of the national media since he was a teenager, has already made his mark in the broadcasting industry although he has yet to graduate from college and is not old enough to legally drink in this country. Paulsen, 20, is perhaps the Jay Bruce of sports journalism, having covered the Little League World Series and Super Bowl for ABC Sports on several occasions. He has also appeared on the David Letterman show six times. A student at George Mason University in Virginia, he is currently the host of Minors and Majors, a two-hour weekly show focusing on Major League Baseball and its minor league prospects on XM Radio.

Grant recently offered his opinions about the latest news and notes around the league in an interview with Tyler Hissey for Scout.com.

TH: Grant, thanks for finding the time to answer some questions about all that is going on in the Major League Baseball season. Let’s get to it.

The Los Angeles Angels are one of the best run-prevention clubs in the game, with an excellent defense and pitching staff. The Angels also have a strong bullpen led by K-Rod, who is on pace to set the single-season saves record. The offensive situation, on the other hand, has been a cause for concern, and the addition of switch-hitting slugger Mark Teixeira will undoubtedly help add another impact bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero. Does the trade make Los Angeles the favorite to win the AL?

Grant: Adding Mark Teixeira was monumental for the Angels. They desperately needed a bat - and preferably a big one - and they got it when they traded for him. Their deep pitching staff, ranked eighth in all of baseball, gives them a chance to win each night, and they are a top-10 team defensively as well. The only area in which they needed to upgrade was at the plate, and in getting Teixeira they were able to add power to a lineup that has hit 49 fewer home-runs than teams like the Marlins and Phillies have this season.

Even if Teixeira proves to be only a late-season rental, which I think could very well be the case, I won't disagree for a moment with what the Angels decided to do. He is a career .285 hitter who can hit his club 35-homers a season and play a terrific first base. With a team like Los Angeles for the long-haul I could see Tex becoming an annual MVP candidate in the American League. They gave up Casey Kotchman, who is a nice enough major leaguer, and a decent relief pitching prospect in hard-throwing righty Stephen Marek. But they got a guy back who makes them the number-one contender for the title (if I can use a wrestling term). That's what the Angels are now. They are the top contender in the AL, and I would be surprised if they aren't in the ALCS.

TH: The Braves certainly went for it all last year, giving up a promising package of prospects—including Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia—to make a run. However, they finished further out of the division than they were at the time of the acquisition, even though Teixeira put up some monster numbers down the stretch. In Kotchman and Marek, GM Frank Wren got about as much as he could have at this point, certainly more than the club would have received had it waited for the compensation picks. Still, it seems, they were burned in the long run. Do you agree? Will teams use this as a lesson before making similar deals at the deadline?

Grant: I think that teams might. I've always felt like GMs should ask themselves only one question before giving up multiple prospects who could eventually help their club for just one veteran major leaguer. If he (the guy they are trading for) comes over and plays like an MVP, can we win the World Series? If the answer is yes, then I am okay with those trades. If the answer is no, then I don't like the idea. Especially if a team is just renting a guy like the Braves were with Teixeira last year, and like the Brewers are this year with CC Sabathia. I didn't like the Teixeira deal last year, and I wasn't a huge fan of the Sabathia deal. If he pitches them into the playoffs, though, I will be okay with the fact that they parted with future All-Star Matt LaPorta.

TH: On an off note, what are the odds that some Angles fans make another Teixeira tribute video on YouTube?

Grant: I feel like another video is coming soon. From the same guys who brought us Mark Teixeira I, comes a second and even more epic offering! Haha. Perhaps the release date will be set for some time in late October.

TH: As of this writing, David Price is 9-0 combined between the Single-A Vero Beach and Double-A Montgomery. Do you see Price making an impact this season? If so, do you think he will turn into this year's version of Joba Chamberlain, coming out of the bullpen, or will he crack the Tampa Bay rotation should Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine falter?

David Price (AP)

Grant: Price is a stud. The guy is going to be 23 later on this month and he could have been getting big league hitters out as of halfway through his final college season at Vanderbilt a year ago. He popped at 99 in his first outing as a pro during spring training this season, and his breaking pitches are already big-league ready. He's going to be a star front-line arm for many years to come, and I could see him and Scott Kazmir being the game's top one-two punch in baseball in a couple years.

With that all said, I think that he will be used in the bullpen down the stretch this season. That will be the best way for Tampa Bay to get his feet wet against major league hitters. He also had a minor arm injury earlier this spring, which could make the Rays want to pitch him out of the pen as a way of keeping his innings count down a little more efficiently, all while still trying to get production out of his electric arm.

If he is used out of the pen, I could see him performing a lot like Joba Chamberlain did last season. His 2007 efforts were something of a once-in-a-decade time promotion, but if anybody could duplicate that type of start to a career, I think Price is that guy. I could see Price repeating that type of dominance down the stretch. He could fortify an already much-improved bullpen and be a big lift for Tampa Bay down the stretch. Unfortunately for the Rays, though, he isn't going to help them hit any better, which is the only phase of the game that they aren't very consistent with.

TH: I recently wrote a contenders piece for the American League. Which four teams from the league do you see making it to the postseason and why?

Mark Teixeira (AP)

Grant: At this moment I have the Angels, Red Sox, and White Sox winning the West, East, and Central, respectively. I rank them in that order because that is the order of my confidence in each of those teams to capture a division crown.

The Angels, with the acquisition of Teixeira and the re-emergence of Ervin Santana as a front-line arm, are my pick to represent the AL in the World Series.

I think Boston is better today than it was a week or two ago as well, though. Jason Bay will give them everything Manny Ramirez did offensively, more defensively, and he'll do it all without creating any problems or causing any headaches for his new coaching staff. I think that Jed Lowrie is an upgrade for them at shortstop as well, and I could see him becoming Boston's Dustin Pedroia of this year in the next couple of months.

The other kind of Sox get terrific pitching and have more power bats than they know what to do with. I just don't know how much I trust some of the unproven arms in that rotation (John Danks and Gavin Floyd among them) down the stretch. Getting Ken Griffey Jr. should provide them with a nice boost, though.

My wild card pick right now is the Rays. They have a deep enough rotation to win any series they play in, they play great defense and they can manufacture enough runs - as the AL leaders in thefts - to mask their anemic team batting average.

TH: Personally, going by their poor run prevention (inexperienced pitching staff and bad infield defense), I do not see the Florida Marlins making the playoffs out of the NL East. They have a negative run differential after all, and, though the Arizona Diamondbacks made it to the playoffs after scoring fewer runs than their opponents last fall, I just do not think it is in the cards for the Fish. Do you agree? If so, who do you think will come out the East?

Grant: I agree with you on the Marlins. The peripherals just don't add up to them being a playoff participant (but don't tell the 2007 Diamondbacks that). The best thing about the Marlins is that they aren't supposed to win right now. They are loaded for the future, thanks largely to the Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis trade this offseason, and they were able to hang on to most of their top prospects at the trade deadline. I'm a Gaby Sanchez guy, but he projects more as a backend-arm than an ace, and he was the only major subtraction from their future core. I think they could keep playing on the plus side of .500, but I don’t' see them doing much more than that the rest of the way. Then again, I didn't see them competing at all this year, so what do I know?

TH: There has certainly been a lot of attention centering around the Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisition of CC Sabathia, though the Brett Favre drama has taken away some of its thunder. Sabathia has energized that clubhouse, adds a legitimate ace alongside Ben Sheets at the top of the staff and is now the best-hitting pitcher in the league with Micah Owings’ demotion to the minors. With that being said, do you think the Brewers will make the postseason for the first time since the Robin Yount era?

Grant: The Brewers are my current pick to win the National League's wild card. Sabathia is one of those guys who can go seven-innings and give his team a chance to win on a bad night. That's the mark of a true ace, and he's proven to be just that over the years. He might be baseball's best pitcher if he ever played an entire season in the NL. The big fella would just be dominant. And Ned Yost will not have to pull him out of games for a pinch hitter, because he's proven that he can wield the wood.

Milwaukee is a better team than St. Louis and Florida, and they are better than any of the clubs in the NL West. With that said, they'll be contending with either Philadelphia or New York (whoever doesn't win the East) for the wild-card spot, at least in my insignificant and probably inaccurate projection. I think they stack up well with either of those two teams. The bottom line is that they had better get to the playoffs. If they don't, then I really don't like the trade at all. If they do I wouldn't be shocked at all if they got to the World Series, considering that they would have Sheets and Sabathia to throw at teams back-to-back. But they have to get there first, and in order to do that they need to start playing better defense (they are 11th in the NL in fielding percentage).

TH: Before we end the interview, give us the names of a few prospects to look for when rosters expand in September.

Grant: Dave Price is the main guy to look out for. He could very well change the American League East landscape, not just this season but over the next several years.

In addition to him, the guy I am most excited about seeing is Andrew McCutchen in Pittsburgh. He's going to get a chance at some point in August, or maybe September, to roam the outfield at PNC Park. He's got more tools than Tim Allen and he's been making his way up through the ranks in a "Jay Bruce" kind of way since the two were drafted real close to each other out of high school back in 2005. I can't wait to see what he does in his first dose of action with the Pirates. He's an electrifying talent who can contribute in a plethora of different ways and baseball fans in the Steel City are in for a treat.

Cameron Maybin is another guy I want to get another look at. I liked what I saw from him in Detroit last season, but I didn't get enough of him. Maybin getting sent to Double-A this year was like dangling candy in front of me and telling me I couldn't have it.

Matt LaPorta and Travis Snider could both also get late-season calls in Cleveland and in Toronto, respectively. I'd be giddy to get a first-glimpse of either of those two slugging outfielders in 2008. Both project as lineup-altering boppers and each should one day find their way onto an All-Star team.

TH: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule, Grant. Keep up the excellent work on XM Radio.

For more info on Grant and his work on XM radio, click here.

The Boston Red Sox simply had to cut their ties with controversial slugger Manny Ramirez, who has become a major distraction for his team in recent weeks. While Ramirez has helped Boston to two World Series titles in four years and is among the most productive pure hitters in the game, Theo Epstein did not want to take the risk of having him dog it and take a mental vacation the rest of the way. With all of the negative talk back and forth and with the “Manny-Being-Manny” antics reaching a whole new level, it was clear that Epstein had to get rid of him somehow.

After the Florida Marlins got greedy and killed the initial possibility for it to happen, the Red Sox spent the afternoon trying to find another team to send him to while keeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the loop. They were not going to get rid of such a key hitter without adding another impact bat, with their eye on Pirates outfielder Jason Bay.

Epstein found his match in the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are looking to win the lowly National League West. With Los Angeles on board, the three teams pulled off a last-second shocker, combining to form the third blockbuster trade in July.

Ramirez was sent to Los Angeles, which dealt prospects Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates then shipped Bay to Boston, who will cover the remaining money left on Ramirez’s contract and also had to offer up Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Bucs.

Interestingly enough, the deal seems to have worked for all parties involved, to a certain extent.

Pittsburgh, though, appears to be the short-term winner. They have finally put the necessary resources into player development, have a potential future All-Star outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, waiting in the wings in Triple-A, several other exciting young prospects and will add another impact bat if they can sign number two overall pick Pedro Alvarez before the August 15 deadline. Alvarez and his agent, Scott Boras, are reportedly not close to an agreement with the organization, however. They received a much better package than they were offered by the Tampa Bay Rays, who would not meet the Pirates' asking price for an “elite” pitching prospect.

Hansen has not lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he was taken in the first round after a standout career at St. John’s three years ago. While he has excellent stuff, he has major command issues and has yet to turn into an effective reliever at the major league level. He has struggled again in Boston this year, posting a 5.58 ERA and 25-to-23 K/W ratio in 30.2 innings pitched after starting the season in the minors. Still, at 24, Hansen is a nice arm to add and will benefit from playing in a smaller market.

LaRoche is an excellent third base prospect who was blocked by numerous obstacles in Los Angeles. Sure, he has not posted great numbers in his brief time at the highest level, hitting .217/.348/.316 with only three homers in 152 career at-bats. But that is too small of a sample size to justify overlooking LaRoche, who posted a .987 OPS with 18 homers before getting called up in 2007. For some reason, Ned Colletti, who has made some horrendous personnel decisions (Juan Pierre, anyone?) in the recent past, did not see him as a major player in the Dodgers’ future, and short-term, success.

One of the top infield prospects for some time, LaRoche should flourish by moving to another organization where he is fully appreciated. All he really needs is a chance, which he will finally get in Pittsburgh. Plus, he gets reunited with his brother, Adam, who is the Pirates' starting first baseman.

Morris, the Dodgers’ first-round pick back in 2006, is a solid addition and a nice long-term pitching prospect as well. He missed a year of development in ’07, undergoing Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow during his short-season debut two years ago. The 21-year-old right-hander has been effective in a nice bounce back stint in the Midwest League so far, posting a 3.20 ERA and 72-to-31 K/W ratio in 17 starts for the Great Lakes Loons.

Moss has not received a great look in the majors with Boston's deep outfield, but has some solid tools and the ability to turn into an excellent fourth outfielder. Still only 24 himself, he has put together a nice campaign, batting .282/.346/.528 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 163 at-bats at Triple-A Pawtucket. He has also spent some time in the show, where he posted a .799 OPS in 78 at-bats. While he will never hit for a ton of power, he is another solid organizational player who is ready to contribute in the majors.

The Pirates not only received “quantity,” they received some “quality” as well, it seems, with a high-ceiling arm, a potential impact corner infielder and a few solid pieces to the puzzle.

On the Dodgers’ end, they had no need for LaRoche anymore after trading for Casey Blake. As good as he has the chance to become, it was simply not going to happen for him in Dodger blue. The club even put up with Blake DeWitt and his sub-.700 OPS for three months before giving him a shot. With Morris, his value was down because of the surgery.

For Ramirez, who will be motivated to produce now that the options on his contract are out of the equation, this was a price that they were willing to pay. Going for it right now, the controversial slugger will help L.A. in its attempt to unseat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the West, taking away at-bats from Andruw Jones and Pierre. This will improve the Dodgers’ offensive unit by default.

Boston needed to get rid of the Manny show, though. Things had a chance to go from bad to worse. While they had to pay a lot to essentially give him away, Bay will not be as much of downgrade offensively as some fans might think, anyway. In fact, Bay currently has an OPS in the same range as Ramirez and is a much better defender. Ramirez has the track record—after all, how many hitters have a career .999 OPS?— and can crush the ball when he is focused, but the gap between production between the two is only minimal at this point of his career, especially considering the defensive aspect.

Bay, 29, is also under control for next year, at a reasonable price. This will free up Epstein to improve his roster in other ways while receiving, similar, cost-effective production. The Canadian, a former Rookie of the Year, has been one of the most productive performers in the NL for the past five years—excluding his injury-plagued ’07 campaign in which he posted a .745 OPS. He is batting .282/.375/.519—right around his career line—with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs already, and will improve by moving into a nice place to hit for right-handed hitters, Fenway Park. Considering all of the factors, including the off-the-field issues, Boston did not lose as much as advertised.

Ramirez had to be moved, was replaced by a solid-hitting outfielder and his sideshow is now Joe Torre’s problem. Boston will certainly miss his production, but his time in the city was nearing its end, regardless, and Hansen and Moss were never going to play a major role for the club. And if the Red Sox—who did not miss a beat in the absence of David Ortiz, now back in the lineup—fail to make the playoffs with the surging New York Yankees and Rays each vying for spots, it will most likely be because of other issues, not the loss of Ramirez. Plus, they will improve in 2009, as they were not going to bring back the Future Hall of Famer, who would have had to be replaced with an expensive free agent addition. So the remaining money on his contract, which Boston will pick up, is not that big of a deal, either, given the savings that they will gain with Bay filling the need on the cheap.

It was certainly an interesting day.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

(Associated Press)

According to the Palm Beach Post, a tentative agreement has been reached that will end the Manny Ramirez era in Boston.

However, other sources such as Peter Gammons, have said that the deal, which also includes the Pittsburgh Pirates, could collapse at any second.

If the deal does, in fact, go through, the Florida Marlins will add a proven run producer in Ramirez. He will definitely help bolster their powerful offensive attack, which is already leading the majors in home runs but ranks 25th out of 30 teams in on-base percentage. The disgruntled slugger, whose “Manny Being Manny” antics are wearing thin in the Boston organization, remains among the most productive hitters in the majors at 36 years old.

Ramirez is currently batting .299/.398/.529 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs, but has dogged it when running out ground balls twice in the past week. Although he makes about as much money as the entire Florida 25-man roster combined, at $20 million, the Red Sox will most likely cover the remaining $6 million left on the deal. They will also receive an unnamed prospect.

Ramirez can become a free agent after the season, as it is unlikely that his option will be picked up. Thus, if Florida does add him to its lineup, they are taking on a risk for a brief rental with their eyes on playing baseball in October.

The Marlins are currently 51-58, 1.5 games back in the weak National League East, but has a negative run differential, a shaky defense and an inexperienced pitching staff. Parting ways with a few talented, young players may come back to bite them if they do not make the playoffs.

However, the addition of such a popular player-who loves the Miami area-may help out at the ticket window and will undoubtedly improve their chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time since the franchise's second World Series title back in 2003. While the club is a few years away from really having a strong team as their top pitching prospects develop, it clearly want to win right now. Also, Ramirez will bring in two compensation picks once he bolts for free agency.

If the report is true, the Marlins will part ways with Jeremy Hermida and Ryan Tucker, each of whom will wind up in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates will also receive a prospect from Boston, who will get Jason Bay and John Grabow in return.

Hermida, the Marlins’ right fielder, is batting .257/.328/.444 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. He provided one of the only bright spots for the Marlins in 2007, hitting .296/.369/.501 with 18 homers and an .870 OPS in a career-high 429 at-bats during a breakout campaign to emerge as a mainstay in the middle of the lineup. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter, who also possesses a strong arm in right field, has a .798 career OPS.

Tucker, a first-round pick back in 2005, made his major league debut for the Marlins at the end of June. He struggled with the jump to the highest level, though, going 2-3 with a 8.38 ERA and 26-to-22 K/W ratio in 10 appearances, including six relatively ineffective starts, before being shipped back down to Double-A on July 24. He has excellent stuff and profiles as a nice long-term prospect, but needs to straighten out his command and control problems.

These factors were an issue for Tucker during his brief stint in the majors, where he struggled to work ahead and throw strikes while surrendering eight home runs in 34.1 innings pitched. The 21-year-old, who has a mid-90s fastball and as much pure arm strength as any pitcher in the Marlins' system, may turn into a reliever before it is all said and done. He began the season in the Southern League, where he went 4-2 with a 1.38 ERA and 62-to-28 K/W ratio in 72.0 innings pitched for the Carolina Mudcats.

Hermida and Tucker are a decent package for Pittsburgh, which did not receive a strong enough offer from the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay was not willing to part with a high-level prospect, such as Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson, in exchange for Bay. Still, according to Gammons, they are still not satisfied with the proposal on their end, potentially stopping this deal from going down.

The Red Sox are going to have a tough time replacing Ramirez’s bat, but will attempt to fill the hole with Bay, who is batting .282/.375/.519 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs. The All-Star left fielder, who will become a free agent in 2009, is enjoying a nice comeback from an injury-plagued '07 season in which he posted a .745 OPS. He is a gamer with an excellent attitude as well, traits which fit in with the Boston mindset and were lost on Ramirez, who also drew the ire of management when he shoved the team traveling secretary. Bay certainly does not have the track record of the Future Hall of Famer, but has actually posted the higher OPS (.929) of the pair to this point.

Grabow is an excellent left-handed reliever when he works ahead of hitters and his command is on. He has been effective out of the Pirates’ bullpen again so far, posting a 3.19 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 53.2 innings pitched. He will provide a nice upgrade in the pen for Boston, which has seen its relievers struggle in the link to closer Jonathan Papelbon.

The trade is being held up over a prospect on the Pirates’ side, but is likely to happen. It will certainly have an impact on the American League and National League East races, though, if the commissioner signs off on the deal and Ramirez waives his no trade clause. Each of these factors have yet to occur.

The Red Sox, who dropped to three games back with a loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, will address a major need to its lack of relief pitching depth. Still, they will lose one of their most productive hitters in Ramirez, who will be a nice addition to the middle of the Marlins’ lineup alongside Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla.

Update: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Marlins are not willing to part ways with Tucker and the deal is still a long way from happening.

Rosenthal:

snip

"In one proposed scenario, the Marlins would trade outfielder Jeremy Hermida and a prospect for Ramirez, and the Red Sox then would flip Hermida and prospects to the Pirates for left fielder Jason Bay and possibly left-handed reliever John Grabow.

The players in the deal, however, remain fluid, according to the source, who described the names as "not set."

Two prominent Marlins prospects who have been mentioned — Class AA right-hander Ryan Tucker and Class A outfielder Michael Stanton — will not be in the trade, Marlins sources said."

Stanton, whose name has also been linked to this blockbuster deal, has hit 27 home runs while posting a .928 OPS in the Sally League. It will be interesting to see what happens, because there have now been around eight versions of the players who are expected to be included in the deal.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Dunn On The Block?

According to SI.com, the Arizona Diamondbacks have made an offer for Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn. The Diamondbacks would send infielder Chad Tracy to the Reds, the report says.

Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty, however, denied the report to the local writers, saying that he has not had any conversations about Dunn today.

Dunn, a polarizing player who has drawn scant interest, is currently leading the majors with 32 home runs and has driven in 74 runs. While his low batting average and high strikeout totals cause many within the industry to undervalue the left-handed slugger, he truly has been among the most productive hitters in the game, posting a .952 OPS in 104 games. He is a Three True Outcome player who hits a homer, draws a walk, or strikes out in the majority of his plate appearances, but his on-base skills rival any hitter in the National League. He is making $13 million this year, and will become a free agent at the end of the season.

Tracy, who was included in the Diamondbacks’ offer to the Atlanta Braves in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, is batting .300/.342/.480 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 47 games. The Braves, according to sources, wanted a deal to include Conor Jackson, not Tracy, causing them to take the Los Angeles’ package of Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek.

Dunn would undoubtedly provide a major boost to the Arizona lineup, which has struggled to score runs since their record-setting month back in April.

Update: According to Jayson Stark, the Reds began talks with the Tampa Bay Rays about Dunn on Wednesday night. The two teams are only in the conversation stages right now, but they could pick up on Thursday, he says. Also, by talking to Dunn, the Rays gain leverage with their discussions with Pittsburgh about Bay, perhaps making this just a smoke storm.

Fuentes Back On The Market?

Brian Fuentes is perhaps the best relief pitcher on the market, with George Sherrill no longer available (Baltimore wants to keep him) and Arthur Rhodes reportedly headed to the Florida Marlins. The Colorado Rockies, after losing a few games to start the week, are reportedly buyers again, though they were considering making a run in the wide-open National League West with their recent surge. GM Dan O’Dowd informed Fuentes this weekend that he was most likely not going to get traded. According to ESPN.com, though, O’Dowd has reconsidered his stance, now looking to shop the left-handed closer again. The Rays are no longer in the running, though, because the Rockies’ asking price—Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson—is way too high for a two-month relief rental.

Bay To Tampa Bay Not Likely:

Bay is most likely not going to be traded to the Rays, after all of the talk that went on today. Following serious discussions, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay are at ends on which prospects to be included the deal. The Pirates, no longer searching for a multi-player package, are looking for “two high-level” prospects. Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann, the former first-round pick out of Rice University, were two of the prospects whose names came up in the discussions, reports say. However, the Pirates are looking for someone along the lines of Davis or Hellickson, each of whom has been labeled off limits by Tampa Bay.

Niemann was roughed up in his outing on Tuesday night, which certainly did not increase his chances of being included in any package. He is still among the most likely prospects to get moved if the Rays’ Vice President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, pulls the trigger on any deal. Brignac, on the other hand, is less likely to go, as his defensive skills at shortstop are major league average already and he has tremendous power potential. While he needs to improve his on-base skills, it would take an excellent offer for Tampa Bay to part ways with its potential future shortstop.

Also making matters complicated, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly close to sending disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez to the Marlins in three-team deal involving Pittsburgh. If Ramirez, who has complained about his current situation in Boston and seems lost right now, is actually dealt to Florida, Boston GM Theo Epstein will attempt to replace his production in the lineup with Bay.

Bay, finally healthy, is batting .282/.375/.519 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

This article was originally posted on Scout.com.

The roster for the USA Olympic Team was announced earlier this week. The following minor leaguers will travel to Beijing to represent their country at the 2008 Olympic Games. The group is filled with an interesting mix of stud prospects and career minor leaguers, all of whom have one goal: to take home the gold.

To find out more on a certain prospect, click on the corresponding scouting reports from Scout.com. Each prospect is listed next to the organization that they play for.

Brett Anderson: LHP, Oakland Athletics—

Anderson, 20, came over to the Oakland Athletics in the deal that sent Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason. The southpaw, one of two Oakland prospects headed to Beijing, threw a scoreless inning in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. He has been effective since joining the deep Oakland farm system, going 9-4 with a 4.14 ERA, 80-to-18 K/W ratio and opponents’ batting average of .238 in 13 starts in the California League before getting promoted to Double-A. He is now pitching for Midland in the Texas League, where he is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in four starts.

Anderson, selected by the Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2006 First-Year Draft, has shown strong command over a fastball that sits in the low-90s, in addition to a slow curve ball, his strongest offering, and a changeup. He is the son of Oklahoma State head coach Frank Anderson, who has an excellent track record of developing college pitchers.

Click here for a full scouting report on Anderson, courtesy of Melissa Lockard, who ranked him the third-best prospect in the Athletics’ farm system in her pre-season rankings.

Jake Arrieta: RHP, Baltimore Orioles—

Arrieta, 21, was selected in the fifth round of the 2007 draft out of Texas Christian University, where he went 23-7 over his final two seasons and was twice named an All American. As a Scott Boras client, he scared off several organizations with his high asking price, dropping him several rounds. He has produced in the minors for Baltimore, though.

Arrieta, in fact, is enjoying a fine campaign in his first professional campaign, earning an invitation to the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. In 20 starts for the Frederick Keys in the Carolina League, he is 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 120-to-51 K/W ratio. The right-hander, who has earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Week twice already this season, is leading the circuit in innings pitched (113.0) and WHIP (1.16). For his stellar first half, he was elected to the league All-Star team. He has a fastball in the 88-91 range, topping out at 93, which he can paint the corners with.

Arrieta is no stranger to international competition. While in college, he posted a 4-0 record and 0.27 ERA for the Gold-Medal winning national team in the ’06 World Championships in Cuba.

Click here for a Q&A with Arrieta, courtesy of Michael Hollman of InsideTheWarehouse.com.

Brian Barden: INF, St. Louis Cardinals—

Barden was one of two players selected from the St. Louis farm system, though top outfield prospect Colby Rasmus will miss the Olympics due to a knee injury. The 27-year-old shortstop has been a key offensive player for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, batting .292/.358/.436 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 95 games. He was acquired off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected him out of Oregon State in the 2002 draft, last August.

Barden is clearly too old to be considered a “prospect,” and actually made the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster out of spring training in 2007. The veteran minor leaguer, who has a career OPS of .804 in seven professional seasons, also has the versatility to play three infield positions. He had an excellent May, earning organizational player of the month after hitting .377 with a .460 on-base percentage in 27 games.

Click here for an old scouting report on Barden.

Matthew Brown: INF, Los Angeles Angels—

The Los Angeles Angels have struggled to score runs at times. Angels’ third base prospect Matthew Brown, though, has done nothing but hit this season, posting a line of .331/.381/.603 with 20 homers, 63 RBIs and a .985 OPS at Triple-A Salt Lake City in the Pacific Coast League. The 25-year-old infielder, who has played nearly every position on the field, is ranked by Scout.com as the seventh-best third base prospect in the minors.

Trevor Cahill: RHP, Oakland Athletics—

Cahill is a polarizing prospect. He has posted strong numbers since the Athletics selected him out of a California high school in the 2006 draft, but does not have an overpowering fastball. In fact, the young right-hander, who gave up an academic scholarship to Dartmouth to sign with Oakland, relies more on his pitching intelligence and excellent command.

Cahill was a force in his first full campaign in ’06, going 11-4 with a 2.73 ERA and 117-to-40 K/W ratio in 105.1 innings pitched in the Midwest League. He picked up where he left off this spring after beginning the season in the California League, where he went 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA, 103-to-31 K/W ratio and .174 opponents’ batting average in 87.1 innings pitched. Cahill, selected a CAL Mid-Season All-Star, was then promoted to the Texas League, where he has flourished alongside Anderson in the Midland starting rotation. The 20-year-old has continued to impress, posting a 5-1 record and 2.25 ERA in his first six starts.

Overall, Cahill, who also was added to the US roster for the Futures game, is 10-5 with a 2.64 ERA and .178 opponents’ batting average in 119.1 innings pitched.

Click here for a scouting report on Cahill, courtesy of Melissa Lockard.

Jeremy Cummings: RHP, Tampa Bay Rays—

Cummings, a career minor leaguer, has one goal left in his professional career—to reach the majors. Cummings, who began the 2008 season in Taiwan, is perhaps inching closer to that dream with every start. After signing with Durham as a minor league free agent in May, he has been one of the most effective starting pitchers in the International League over the past two months, going 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 63-to-20 K/W ratio in 76.1 innings pitched.

Cummings has come a long way since the St. Louis Cardinals selected him out of West Virginia University in the 1999 draft, but if he can continues to pitch effectively, his dream of the reaching the majors may just come true after all; if not with Tampa Bay, an organization stacked with pitching prospects, then perhaps another franchise in the future.

Jason Donald: INF, Philadelphia Phillies—