MLB Bullets is heading to Birdland

I’m going to have a big draft preview article coming up in a few hours. We’ll also have an open thread tonight to discuss the draft.

• Just to let you know, as of midnight Eastern time last night, any team signing free agent pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel will no longer lose a draft pick. Neither had signed as I write this, but they may have signed by the time you read this. I doubt it, but it’s possible. (Jeff Passan notes that Keuchel, at least, plans to take his time.)
• There was a trade as the Mariners sent outfielder Jay Bruce to the Phillies for minor league third baseman Jake Scheiner. The Phils are currently down an outfielder after outfielder Odubel Herrera was placed on administrative leave following a domestic violence arrest.
• Buster Olney has a heartwarming story of the strong bond between brothers Joey Cora and Alex Cora and how Joey was there for the much-younger Alex when their father died of cancer when Alex was 13.
• As I noted, the draft is coming up tonight. Jon Tayler has a profile of Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman and the difficulty of finding baseball’s next great catcher. Rustchman, thought by many to go number one to the Orioles tonight (although late whispers say they are rethinking that ), has been compared to Buster Posey by many observers.
• Jeff Passan outlines an ingenious plan that some MLB executives are talking about to blow up the draft. He also outlines why it might not work and why teams are reluctant to try it.
• The Diamondbacks have eight of the top 80 picks in this draft, but as R.J. Anderson notes, historically, teams that have huge draft classes rarely get a huge influx of talent from it.
• Ben Lindbergh has the story of pitch-analysis technology (and an app!) that is revolutionizing scouting and amateur baseball.
• Mike Axisa looks back at the 2014 draft.
• Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer struck out 15 in a win against the Reds after loudly telling manager Dave Martinez he wasn’t leaving the game.
• Rookie Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit his first career home run and it was a walkoff home run.
• Dan Szymborski notes that the Twins have clobbered the opposition into becoming the best team of the American League Central.
• Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven said “blow up this place!” after the roof at Tropicana Field turned a potential Miguel Sano home run into an easy fly out. The thing is, he’s not going to get an argument from the Rays, so it’s not exactly bulletin board material.
• Craig Edwards tried to figure out how to get Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger out.
• The Nationals have signed reliever Fernando Rodney to a minor-league deal.
• The Brewers plan to activate pitcher Jimmy Nelson on Wednesday. Nelson has not played in the majors since suffering an injury in September 2017.
• The Padres game against the Marlins at Petco Park was delayed by 28 minutes by BEES!
• Aaron Dodson profiles Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier and his love of custom-made cleats. Frazier says “Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good.”
• This may be the opposite of looking good. The Orioles all dressed up like Andrew Cashner for their trip to Texas. Cashner, presumably, didn’t have to change a thing. Apparently, he normally dresses like an aging country music star on laundry day.
• Some of the Rangers, on the other hand, took to wearing their socks so high that it looked like they were wearing shorts on the field. Both Rougned Odor and Hunter Pence had their socks coming up above their knees.
• And finally, the Orioles have been getting ready for the draft the past few days, but their general manager acknowledged that they may have to shake up their draft board after seeing this nice catch on a line drive by one of their ballgirls. Don’t they already have her under contract? Kind of a big error on their part.

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