MLB Bullets Feels Like 10 Million Bucks

Just to let everyone know, if Al wants to buy out my arbitration and free agent years with a $10 million contract, I'll sign it.

• The Astros signed minor league first baseman Jon Singleton to a five year/$10 million deal with three option years that could bring the total to $35 million. The Astros then immediately called Singleton up to the majors.
• Richard Justice says this is the latest step in the Astros transformation into an actual big league ballclub. My words, not his, but that's what he means.
• Jonathan Bernhardt thinks the deal has a pretty awful smell about it, as it looks like the Astros told Singleton "sign this or stay in the minors." Still he understands why a risky prospect like Singleton would, and probably should, sign such a deal.
• Cliff Corcoran agrees that the contract is absurdly team-friendly, but Singleton's substance-abuse problems likely played a role in his decision. Also, it's hard to turn down $10 million and he wonders how George Springer and Gregory Polanco were able to do it.
• Bud Norris, on the other hand, thinks that Singleton signed a terrible contract. Mark Mulder's not a fan either.
• Singleton, for his part, homered for his first major league hit. He did have two strikeouts and two errors before connecting against the Angels in a 7-2 Astros win.
• Singleton also flipped his bat. I think that's an unwritten rule violation!
• Singleton wasn't the only player going deep in that game. The Angels activated Josh Hamilton off the DL before the game and he also homered in his first game back.
• David Schoenfield thinks Hamilton's return bolsters an already strong Angels lineup. It might be enough to catch Oakland, however.
• Especially since Mike Trout exited last night's game after 1½ innings with "mid-back discomfort."
• Speaking of back discomfort and the AL West, we start the butcher's bill with the Rangers' Matt Harrison having lumbar fusion surgery. Harrison is out for the season and the injury may even be career-threatening. The Rangers still owe about $45 million on the deal Harrison signed before the 2013 season.
• In more bad Rangers news, Jurickson Profar does not expect to play this season.
• The Rays' Wil Myers is going to miss at least two months with a wrist injury.
• Jay Jaffe notes that Myers was struggling even before this injury. Also, the whole Rays team is suffering through a lousy year.
• Justin Morneau's return to form this season just highlights the problem of concussions in baseball.
• Rob Neyer thinks that if the Rockies want to build a contender, they need to deal Carlos Gonzalez.
• Following up on that David Price/David Ortiz brouhaha from last time, MLB suspended Red Sox hurler Brandon Workman for six games for throwing behind Evan Longoria whereas Price was not suspended. David Ortiz is furious.
• David Brown says that MLB couldn't justify suspending Price when he wasn't tossed from the game for hitting Ortiz and Mike Carp.
• Gordon Edes thinks the Red Sox have bigger problems. Their outfield is the worst in baseball this season. Yep, even worse than the Cubs. He thinks the team needs to make a trade, but admits that's going to be expensive and hard to accomplish.
• The Phillies are "not playing big league baseball right now." Those aren't my words. Those are the words of Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa.
• Manager Ryne Sandberg called a team meeting.
• Corey Seidman says the Phillies are Phinished.
• It's been exactly one year since Yasiel Puig (PUIG!) got called up to the majors. Jorge Arangure Jr. has a look back at the insanity.
• Just to add to the legend of PUIG!, he was late for batting practice on his one-year anniversary.
• Don Mattingly and Andre Ethier had a loud argument in the dugout, but both parties say it wasn't a big deal. Of course not. It didn't involve PUIG!
• On the other hand, Hanley Ramirez was not happy about getting pulled from a game. He still expects to be a Dodger all season and a free agent after it.
• Unlike PUIG!, Derek Jeter always plays the right way. Jeter would never assume a fair ball was foul and play it into a triple. OOPS! I'm sure Michael Kay will tell me Jeter intended to do that.
• Jeter wants to own a team after he retires. Craig Calcaterra wonders where he's going to get $2 billion? Sure, he could be a minority owner, but then he wouldn't get to "call the shots" like he says he wants to.
• Tim Hudson was not happy with the Bob Nightengale article that I linked to last time. He wants everyone to know that he harbors no bitterness towards the Braves, his former team.
• The Nationals and Rangers both used an instant replay challenge on the same play. That's a first.
• There's a report that the Royals are considering trying to sign Kendrys Morales. Why not? He could probably outhomer the rest of the Royals team at this point. And he's not even that good of a home run hitter.
• As soon as the draft is over on Saturday, expect several teams to go after Morales.
• Christina Kahrl thinks it's time for the young players on the Mariners to have an impact. She notes that they aren't that young anymore.
• Daniel Murphy will speak at the White House about issues concerning working dads. Expect Mike Francesca to blast Murphy for not spending his off-day with his teammates.
• Nobody eats cheesesteaks like the New York Mets.
• Dirk Hayhurst read that ESPN article about baseball's unwritten rules and says the whole thing is a whole lot of bull$#!%. Recommended, but then again, what Hayhurst piece isn't?
• I'm sticking the draft stuff at the end and trying to keep it at a minimum, since I think we're covering it pretty well elsewhere on the site. But Allan Simpson has a whole ton of great draft trivia for you to peruse.
• Dave Cameron says that the Marlins trading the 39th pick in the draft for a replacement-level reliever like Bryan Morris is a move so stupid that only the Marlins could pull it off.
• David Schoenfield goes through the years and finds a lot of great draft picks thrown away on mediocre free agents.
• Chris Crawford has the storylines you should be following during tomorrow's draft. The Cubs are number two.
• Joe Posnanski thoughtfully explains why the Athletics would never have drafted Bubba Starling and how that's the difference between the A's and the Royals. I remember that draft night and how a lot of us were hoping that Starling would fall to the Cubs. He didn't, and the Cubs had to settle for Javier Baez. Admittedly, most of us were at least satisfied with the Baez pick. At least there wasn't much grumbling.
• Finally, you're going to see a lot of mock drafts between now and tomorrow. But in 2005, Jim Callis pulled off one of the most amazing feats in prognostication when he correctly predicted the first 18 picks of the draft. Michael Baumann says it's an even more amazing streak than DiMaggio's and he talks with Callis to ask how he did it. He missed the next two (which included the Cubs' pick), and then nailed the next three before his streak ran out. I just wish his prediction for the Cubs was right. Luke Hochevar is no great shakes, but he's a heck of a lot better than Mark Pawelek.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. It will be draft day.