While I don’t really like doing pieces like this - mostly because it’s information I really can’t get with a simple phone call or a fresh set of outgoing e-mails - it seems that trades are all everyone is wondering about these days.

It’s July 6 and even fans of other teams are asking if I have anything that concerns their team.

So, what the heck.

There will be M’s rumors in here, too, mostly those I have already touched on, I think, but this covers just about everything I have heard in the past three or four days.

The Chicago Cubs want a starting pitcher, and preferably one that’s better than every other starting pitcher they have, including Carlos Zambrano. On their wish list are C.C. Sabathia, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden and A.J. Burnett, but probably don’t have the pieces to land any of them.

The St. Louis Cardinals have the early inside track on Harden and are able to offer up Colby Rasmus as the headliner in a deal for the right-hander. The Cubs may be better off making offers for Joe Blanton, Tim Hudson and Aaron Harang.

The New York Yankees are also interested in all of the above, and they, too, may come up short in available young talent, at least for Sabathia, Harden and Bedard. One scout, citing how heavily the Yankees were scouting other specific clubs, said he expected either Bedard or Blanton to land in the Big Apple.

The rumors surrounding Sabathia and the Brewers sound awfully weak, since Milwaukee is not currently willing to send two of their top six prospects to Cleveland for a rental player they would have no chance in re-signing.

Based on what I have been told about the current market assessment, I would bet heavily on the Indians keeping Sabathia and taking the two draft picks, or finding a way to rob the Yankees of two of their top three prospects in center fielder Austin Jackson, now-catcher-soon-to-be-first-baseman Jesus Montero and right-hander Zach McAllister, or something like that.

Otherwise, the Yankees aren’t likely to get Sabathia, either.

The 2009 draft looks to be excellent and two extra picks are probably worth more than Matt LaPorta and two “B” prospects from the Brewers, and it’s certainly worth more than the same from the Yankees. And you can bet the farm that Tribe GM Mark Shapiro is going to use that as a bargaining chip.

The rumors of Tampa Bay and the Dodgers getting involved are quite ridiculous, and most likely only those two clubs are being leaked to drive up the price. It’s no coincidence that both have deep farm systems.

One thing is for sure: The club that gets Sabathia is going to pay a pretty hefty price, even if it’s just for two months and, hopefully, October.

C.C. Sabathia Prediction: - Unless the Brewers change their stance, Sabathia will land in the Bronx or stay with Cleveland.

If Milwaukee caves, at least somewhat, Cleveland would probably much prefer to send him to the National League, regardless of the fact that there is a good chance he signs with AL club in 2009, as long as the return is somewhat equal.

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Harden’s market is a little bit different, for several reasons. One, the Oakland Athletics seek a different kind of player. Not a talent type that all clubs have to send back. Two, the right-hander has a history of shoulder problems which makes it difficult for teams to pour out their farm system to the A’s to land him.The advantage, however, is that Harden is not schedule to be eligible for free agency until after the 2009 season. Harden, when healthy, is one of the top few starting pitchers in the game, but comes with the short and long-term health risk.

The Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Padres and Yankees all have apparent interest, and there’s really not much of a chance that Billy Beane passes up the chance to get some good value for Harden while he’s healthy.Don’t be surprised if Harden is the first to be traded.

Rich Harden Prediction: New York Yankees

If the Yankees choose to bleed their system for a pitcher not named Sabathia, Harden and Bedard are the top two candidates. Oakland would probably insist that Jackson be involved, and may prefer Montero to McAllister.

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It looks like the Toronto Blue Jays are more interested in fighting for 2008, to save J.P. Riccardi’s job and allowing right-hander A.J. Burnett to opt out of his contract rather than trading the 31-year-old.But the Seattle Mariners are certainly willing to trade left-hander Erik Bedard, and have not backed off their efforts to focus on trading other parts of the 25-man roster, as has been erroneously reported.

Bedard’s potential health risk and durability concerns will, however, probably push any trade until much closer to the deadline in order to give him time to put some of those concerns behind him.

The Phillies have been the hottest rumor, but the Yankees, Cubs and Cardinals have also shown enough interest to send scouts to see Bedard in Seattle and San Diego.

The Yankees and Cardinals each have center fielders they could deal in Colby Rasmus and Austin Jackson, which would be ideal if the M’s are going to be naive enough to leave Ichiro in right, and have other pieces that should satisfy the M’s requirements.

Erik Bedard Prediction: Philadelphia or New York Yankees

The Yankees would prefer Sabathia, but might prefer Bedard to Harden due to handedness. If the Yankees whiff on Sabathia, Bedard probably lands in New York for a package starting with Jackson and McAllister, who would immediately become the M’s second-best pitching prospect.

A Phillies trade would probably have to include both a healthy Carlos Carrasco and either shortstop Jason Donald, who profiles better defensively at second base, or natural second baseman Adrian Cardenas, a left-handed hitter with average to above average power, or maybe both.

It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Milwaukee gets involved in the Bedard sweepstakes, and the two clubs may not be a match since Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel are apparently off the table, and LaPorta and Angel Salome aren’t likely to interest the Mariners as much.

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The Cubs may be on the outside looking in, which is where right-hander Joe Blanton, Tim Hudson and Aaron Harang come into play.Blanton is probably staying put, but only because Beane isn’t too keen on selling low.Hudson, as well as first baseman Mark Teixeira, should become very available as the Braves look to revamp for next season.

Hudson is guaranteed $13 million in 2009 and has a $12 million mutual option for 2010 that holds a $1 million buyout, but 2/25 is cheap considering the market for pitching these days. Plus, Hudson is durable if nothing else, and has been very solid since changing the grip on his two-seam fastball last May, adding sink which improved the consistency in his ground ball rates.

He’ll need it if he lands in Wrigley Field.

Chicago Cubs Prediction: In-house - I don’t see a deal that makes a ton of sense for the Cubs right now. If Burnett is shopped, he’d become the leading candidate to land on the North Side.

Or if GM Jim Hendry can convince Walt Jocketty to deal within the division, Harang is a good fit, too, and Lou Pineilla’s kind of player.

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Others -Vicente Padilla - This is the kind of bargain shopping the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers may be into this summer. Detroit needs bullpen help - *cough* George Sherrill *cough* - and the Padres and Dodgers are in dire need of more offense and would be wise to spend their trade bait on those needs.

One Dodgers scout did say this last week when asked about their trade deadline intentions: “We do have Chad (Billingsley), Clay (Kershaw) and (Hiroki) Kuroda locked up for the next four years, giving us three really solid guys to build on after this season. Derek (Lowe) and (Brad) Penny may be gone (LAD holds an option on Penny) but I think that gives us the flexibility to use some of our minor league arms to get some offense.

“The division is there for us. I don’t know what they (the front office) have in mind specifically, but I’ve been sent to see every single bat that may or may not become available, which is why I am here in Seattle watching (Alex) Rios and Adrian Beltre. Last week I was sent to see Milton Bradley in Texas and I’m off to see Garret Atkins and Cristian Guzman - and at some point I’ll take a look at Casey Blake and Jhonny Peralta of Cleveland when they come out on a trip west this month.

“Sure, that could all be for no reason, but it usually means something.”

Jarrod Washburn - Los Angeles Dodgers

Livan Hernandez - Detroit Tigers

Gil Meche - Stays in KC until winter or next summer

Kevin Millwood - Stays in Texas

Tim Redding - St. Louis Cardinals

Randy Wolf - Milwaukee Brewers

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I have received several e-mails over the past day or so asking numerous questions about the M’s farm system, its status, certain players, etc.

I thought I’d toss the answers into one post.

Q: Where does the Mariners system rank versus the rest of the league?

A: Because Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien will certainly no longer count - though technically neither player has surpassed the at-bat threshold - I would say somewhere in the 16-20 range.

Seattle is not without as much talent as those in the 10-15 range, but most of it is down in A ball, and since most of that is pitching, the inherent risks that comes with such young arms renders the system thin in probability.

If Clement and Balentien were included, I think I’d slide the M’s into the 11-13 range.

Q: I was surprised that Michael Pineda wasn’t in your mid-season Top 10. Where would you rank him?

A: If I went beyond No. 10, I think Pineda would appear pretty early, perhaps in the first few. I can’t see any way he’d rank any lower than 12 or 13. He got strong consideration for the Top 10, and you can argue that he belongs there.

Q: What other teams have as much or more young pitching in the lower minors as the Mariners do?

A:  Unfortunately, Oakland does, and it certainly exceeds, at least right now, what the Mariners are bringing to the table. With Trevor Cahill, Fausto de los Santos, Henry Rodriguez and now Michael Inoa, the A’s are stacked.  Scary stacked.

The good news is, they don’t have much offense brewing and they don’t spend money on their 25-man roster.

Q: If you were ranking the top five farm systems in baseball, how would that turn out?

A: I’d start with Texas and Tampa Bay, and that’s not going out on a limb. Both clubs are stacked with impact players, Tampa with tons of pitching, Texas with tons of bats.

Q: Do you know who the top 10 prospects in baseball are right now, according to most?

A: I don’tknow about “most” but I’d put Baltimore catcher Matt Weiters at No. 1, with Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen and Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar (pictured above, right) rounding out my top three.

After that, in no particular order, I’d go with Texas’ newly called up first baseman Chris Davis, Milwaukee first baseman/outfielder Matt LaPorta, Boston first baseman Lars Anderson and Tampa left-hander David Price.

Former Mariners right-hander Chris Tillman would definitely rank in my top 10 pitching prospects, along with Boston right-hander Michael Bowden and San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Alderson.

Q: Would the Mariners make a prospect-for-prospect trade if it got them a left-handed power-hitting first baseman or upgrades in left field or at second base?

A: I think they would, but it would have to be a no-brainer. I don’t see the club trading Jeff Clement in such a trade, however. I could see Balentien being dangled, but trades involving prospects onlycoming in and going out are very rare.

Q: Have you heard any trade rumors involving the Mariners? What’s the scoop?

A: This is what I have heard, and some of this is fresh.

Atlanta has shown interest in Raul Ibanez, but I have not heard if either team has made an offer. I would guess it’s too early for that.

Jarrod Washburn is pitching his way out of town. Yay. The Phillies, Astros, Diamondbacks and Cardinals have shown interest. The return is going to be uninspiring, but that’s to be expected.

One scout from one of the team interested in Washburn says that money is going to dictate where and if the left-hander is traded this summer.

Miguel Batista is not going to be traded, at least not in July.

The Mariners aren’t excited about the prospects of trading Adrian Beltre, both because they want to keep him beyond 2009 and because they believe they would be selling low on a player they can win with next year.

The Dodgers and Brewers, among others, have inquired, and the Phillies and Giants should do so if they haven’t already.

One scout’s opinion on Erik Bedard versus San Diego Sunday: “I thought he looked very good. That wasn’t an ace out there, but that pitcher puts six teams in the NL over the top.”

The Mariners are probably going to do whatever it takes to create a bidding war for Bedard, which is the right thing to do.

An assistant GM suspected that the Mariners could still probably get 75 cents on the dollar for Bedard, using what Seattle sent to Baltimore as a price guide.

Milwaukee is not interested, neither is San Francisco, contrary to what was reported over the weekend. The Giants scouts are out looking for offense and have no desire to waste their trade pieces on pitching.

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Get the Updated Seattle Mariners Draft Board Here

In the final mock for me, I still have the Rays taking Tim Beckham with the No. 1 overall pick, and if the rumors are true that have the Pirates taking Alvarez with the second pick, things get interesting right away.

After 10 minutes, Florida State catcher Buster Posey (Pictured at right) is looking for a home with no obvious destination. I have him going seventh to the Cincinnati Reds, but if he doesn’t go first or second, who knows where he ends up, though it’s difficult to believe he’d fall too far.

My reasoning for sticking with Beckham No. 1 is two-fold: One, Beckham is the choice of the Rays’ scouting director R.J. Harrison while the GM and VP of Baseball Operations prefers Posey, and I would like to think they’d trust their scouting director when all is said and done.

After all, that’s what you want the Mariners to do, right?

Tampa Bay has tons of pitching and either pick makes sense for them, but their decision will likely be based on whether they think Beckham is a potential superstar or merely a good everyday shortstop who does a little bit of everything.

If Posey is available, Kansas City could snag him at No. 3, but it also makes a lot of sense for them to snuggle up next to another Scott Boras client such as Eric Hosmer. If Posey is the pick, Hosmer would likely fall to Texas at No. 10, if not further.

With pick No. 4, Baltimore is likely to have their choice of either of the Beckhams, or Posey and Gordon Beckham, as well as left-hander Brian Matusz and first baseman Justin Smoak.

Considering the even grades between the two players on most teams’ draft boards, I have the Orioles taking Smoak, filling an organizational weakness as well as taking the best player available.

If Smoak is off the board at five, the Giants will shed a billion tears and then probably take Gordon Beckham. San Francisco could also tab Posey here, if he was available. Brett Wallace is also a possibility, and while they desperately need position talent, Matusz and right-hander Aaron Crow should not be completely out of the question.

The Marlins, as usual, are likely to take the best prep player not named Tim Beckham with the No. 6 pick - even if Beckham is there, which is possible if Tampa goes with Posey and the next four are Alvarez, Hosmer, Smoak, Matusz/G. Beckham.

Skipworth to Florida makes a lot of sense.

The White Sox could go with Crow or Matusz in this scenario, but may be able to get the best player available and draft for need at the same time with Brett Wallace. The Sox could also agree to pay Yonder Alonso.

I think they go offense and take Wallace, planning to play him at first with Konerko at DH as Thome is phased out.

With Skipworth off the board here, Special assistant Bob Boone is overruled by default and the Nats likely tab Crow or Matusz with No. 9, and Houston is happy to take whichever of the two the Nationals don’t.

Texas and Boras hook up again and find top prep pitcher Gerrit Cole a home and left-hander Christian Friedrich slides in perfectly with the Oakland A’s at No. 12.

The Cardinals seem locked in, at least to me, on Aaron Hicks (left), Tim Melville or Zach Collier, and I have them opting for the center field prospect Collier.

With Hicks telling teams he won’t sign as a pitcher, the Twins, worried about Francisco Liriano’s future and just having re-upped with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, as well as trading for Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young, opt for the pitcher here in Martin over the outfielder in Hicks.

Even though Dodgers’ scouting director Logan White loves the high-ceiling prep arms, Hicks is too good to pass up here at No. 15.

Milwaukee might have to take Josh Fields and get him in their bullpen by early August in order to have a shot in the NL Central this year, and if he’s closing games for them down the stretch, it was worth the pick at No. 16.

If Alonso or Wallace are on the board at 17, Toronto, long after the college player, is likely to take advantage.

With the first of two picks over the next five selections, the Mets get their catcher of the future in Jason Castro. They could also go for Melville here and hope Castro is available at No. 22, and there’s talk that they’d like to get two bats in round one and wait on the pitchers, which would suggest they could be thinking Lawrie or Kelley at 18 as well.

With no major holes to fill in their bullpen, shockingly, the Cubs may stay away from Andrew Cashner and take the best player available in shortstop Casey Kelly. Kelly interests Seattle, too, but they see him as as a bit of a tough sign after he committed to play quarterback at Tennessee.

No other club appears to be that concerned with Kelly’s college commitment.

In this scenario, I see the M’s taking Melville (right), clearly the best player available, and probably on every single team board at this point.

Seattle’s team doctors, however, have studied and analyzed the paperwork and tests on Fresno State right-hander Tanner Scheppers and have told the front office that he should be fine and would feel comfortable endorsing the selection medically.

Scheppers began the spring as a top 10 talent but multiple exams revealed an impingement in his right shoulder. These impingements are known to occasionally cause small tears in the labrum, which is typically death to pitchers as we know them.

With the typical impingement, which basically means to put pressure on, scrape against or rub, the acromion, which is the front most edge of the clavicle, “impinges” the rotator cuff, causing stiffness and minor pain.

In most cases, however, rest and supervised physical therapy are enough. In some cases, however, the x-ray called an ‘outlet view’ reveals a bone spur in the area, which endangers the rotator cuff further.

The weaker the joint becomes during the whole process, the more a tear in the labrum becomes possible.

In any case, the Mariners clearly do not prefer to draft a college reliever, and if Hicks, Kelly, Scheppers and Melville are not available, they’d consider Zach Collier, Yonder Alonso (yes, they would, they have spoken internally about it over the past 48 hours), and Brett Lawrie.

Lawrie has an up-the-middle bat but the only position up the middle he might be able to play is second base, though there are a few scouts that aren’t completely convinced he can’t catch (most of the scouts I trust say he’s not a catcher).

He could play any of the corner spots, but his bat doesn’t profile quite that well.

Lance Lynn is indeed an option for the Mariners, as I was told very early this morning that “the way things (negotiations) ended a few years back mean nothing to either side this time around. We’re open to all options if the player is the one we want.”

I have also heard rumblings that the Mariners are considering Reese Havens and Jemile Weeks at No. 20, because they are getting a few calls on second baseman Jose Lopez, who is having a decent year thanks to a recent hot streak.

In the end, if Scheppers (left) or Melville is the pick, don’t be disappointed. Melville has better stuff than Chris Tillman - right now, even - and if the doctors did their homework and don’t see a reason for long term concern, well, that’s what they are hired for, I guess.

It’s still better than drafting a reliever in round one, especially with so many readily available in round two.

2008 Mock Draft 4.0
No.	BPA*	Team	Pick
1	Tim Beckham, SS	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	Tim Beckham, SS
2	Justin Smoak, 1B	Pittsburgh Pirates	Pedro Alvarez, 3B
3	Eric Hosmer, 1B	Kansas City Royals	Eric Hosmer, 1B
4	Pedro Alvarez, 3B	Baltimore Orioles	Justin Smoak, 1B
5	Aaron Crow, RHP	San Francisco Giants	Gordon Beckham, SS
6	Buster Posey, C	Florida Marlins	Kyle Skipworth, C
7	Gordon Beckham, SS	Cincinnati Reds	Buster Posey, C
8	Brian Matusz, LHP	Chicago White Sox	Brett Wallace, 1B
9	Gerrit Cole, RHP	Washington Nationals	Aaron Crow, RHP
10	Christian Friedrich, LHP	Houston Astros	Brian Matusz, LHP
11	Brett Wallace, 1B	Texas Rangers	Gerrit Cole, RHP
12	Aaron Hicks, RF/RHP	Oakland Athletics	Christian Friedrich, LHP
13	Kyle Skipworth, C	St. Louis Cardinals	Zach Collier, OF
14	Tim Melville, RHP	Minnesota Twins	Ethan Martin, RHP
15	Yonder Alonso, 1B	Los Angeles Dodgers	Aaron Hicks, RF
16	Casey Kelly, SS/RHP	Milwaukee Brewers	Josh Fields, RHP
17	Ethan Martin, RHP/3B	Toronto Blue Jays	Yonder Alonso, 1B
18	Jason Castro, C	New York Mets	Jason Castro, C
19	Zach Collier, OF	Chicago Cubs	Casey Kelly, RHP
20	Jake Odorizzi, RHP	Seattle Mariners	Tim Melville, RHP
21	Josh Fields, RHP	Detroit Tigers	Andrew Cashner, RHP
22	Shooter Hunt, RHP	New York Mets	Jake Odorizzi, RHP
23	Andrew Cashner, RHP	San Diego Padres	Lance Lynn, RHP
24	Lance Lynn, RHP	Philadelphia Phillies	Aaron Weatherford, RHP
25	Reese Havens, SS	Colorado Rockies	Robbie Ross, LHP
26	Conor Gillaspie, 3B	Arizona Diamondbacks	Conor Gillaspie, 3B
27	Niko Vazquez, 2B	Minnesota Twins	Brett Lawrie, 2B/RF
28	Jemile Weeks, 2B	New York Yankees	Alex Meyer, RHP
29	Aaron Weatherford, RHP	Cleveland Indians	Jemile Weeks, 2B
30	Robbie Ross, LHP	Boston Red Sox	Reese Havens, SS

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While Kenny Lofton, Corey Patterson, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and Sammy Sosa are still seeking employment, there are clubs in both leagues that continue to look to build their roster for the upcoming season.

Including the Seattle Mariners.

The M’s are apparently still open to adding more lineup depth and have had talks with a number of the remaining free agents and have made at least a few calls to clubs to talk trade.

Trot Nixon wanted more money and more assured playing time than Seattle was able to offer, prompting the 10-year veteran to sign a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I think there’s a better possibility that we do something later in the spring,” said a Mariners front office representative. “Right now we have to find out what we already have and then we can act accordingly. I think a lot of clubs are in the same position.”

The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are not among those teams, however. Cubs GM Jim Hendry is still itching to add second baseman Brian Roberts to the top of his lineup but Baltimore Orioles front man Andy McPhail has held out for ransom packages.

One National League executive all but guaranteed that by the time the Cubs head to Las Vegas for the final two games of their Cactus League schedule, Roberts will have made the flight from soggy Florida.

“It’s not that different than the deal with (Erik) Bedard,” he said. “He’s (McPhail) just trying to get all he can and when the smoke clears he’ll get a good enough deal.”

The most likely trio of talents heading to Baltimore at this point, according to this NL Central rep, includes infielder Ronny Cedeno and right-handers Sean Gallagher and Kevin Hart.

But for the deal to get done, it sound like the Cubs will likely have to replace Hart or Cedeno with one two outfielders, Felix Pie or Tyler Colvin.

It is also believed that while the O’s prefer to get a potential shortstop in the deal, Cedeno, they are much more convinced that second baseman Eric Patterson will perform offensively in the majors.

The Red Sox have re-contacted the agent for right-hander Bartolo Colon to inform him of their potential interest. Colon is looking for guaranteed money for more than one season, but there are rumors that he’d take a one-year deal to go to Boston.

Boston’s interest hinges on the state of their rotation once they get a more definitive word on the immediate future of Curt Schilling.

Other Spring Notes

Lofton is going to play in 2008, and at least a half-dozen clubs have been in constant contact with his agent… Colon has minor league offers from four teams; the White Sox, Cardinals, Giants and Indians… Patterson wants to start for a playoff team, which is likely to lead him back to the National League. None of the top six teams in the junior circuit are seeking outfield help, though Patterson would be a great fit in left field for the Tribe. San Diego has shown interest but there’s at least one Braves scout that has recommended Patterson to play center field for Atlanta until top prospect Jordan Schafer is ready… The Orioles are expected to watch the progress of right-hander Daniel Cabrera very closely during the season’s first 10-12 weeks, and then shop him as they have Bedard and Roberts.

Mariners Notes

There are two players getting a lot of attention this spring of which fans and media alike should temper their enthusiasm. Infielder Yung Chi Chen is a solid ball player, and might earn regular time with the M’s this season, but he’s no future star and is better suited as a reserve. He’s a better bat than Willie Bloomquist, is an above-average base runner, and is a solid glove at second and third base. But the 24-year-old is void of a plus tool and lacks ideal extra-base power to soak up one of nine lineup spots on a regular basis.

Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, the club’s first round pick last June, has created a buzz already in his first spring training as a pro. But ignore anyone - I mean anyone, Bill Bavasi, John McLaren, Mel Stottlemyre, the beat writers, and even me if I try and tell you that Aumont has any chance to break into the big-league rotation next season. He’s 19 years old, has no professional experience and some scouts are a bit worried about a few things. “With that arm slot he hasn’t as much room for error as he develops his pitches,” said one scout whose club was set to draft Aumont with a pick very near where Seattle snagged him at No. 11. “He throws hard, and he’s a big, physical arm, but with that high-3/4 slot throwing a true curve ball might be tough, and maintaining a consistent release point could be a problem area, too. I really like him, but he’s probably not going to move very quickly.”

Aumont has already hit the mid-90s with his fastball this spring, and brings a useful changeup and slider to the table.

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