The Deal: The Cubs trade 1B Derek Lee and cash ($1.7 million) to the Braves for RHP Robinson Lopez (Low-A), LHP Jeffrey Lorick (High-A), RHP Tyrelle Harris (Double A)

The Braves: Atlanta desperately needed a big bat with Chipper Jones on the D.L. and Troy Glaus becoming totally ineffective. Unfortunately by waiting till after the trade deadline the Braves severely limited their options (Chipper wasn’t injured at the time, but they could have still used a power OF or 1B bat at the deadline). While Derek Lee is a big name, his production has fallen well below his career standards this season. Lee has been hot of late and does bring a veteran presence to the club, but the Braves paid a steep price to rent Derek Lee for the rest of the season, when he only is a marginal upgrade to what they currently have. Lee is a free agent at the end of the year, and will likely be too expensive to offer arbitration to. In return for him the Braves gave up three young pitchers, including one who has a good bit of upside.

The Cubs: Chicago had been trying to trade Derek Lee for sometime, but with his ability to veto trades they hadn’t had much luck. While this might not have been the Cubs first choice in trade partners, they did quite well in this deal. Lee wasn’t in the Cubs long term or short term plans, so they were likely going to move on from Lee this offseason anyways as their first baseman. By moving him now the Cubs save an additional $1.7 million, and by agreeing to pay half of Lee’s salary they got a pretty good prospect return. Robinson Lopez is the real talent in this group and could make this a big win for Chicago. Despite being just 19 he has the upside to become a frontline starter down the road. It will be a couple years until Chicago sees him with the big league club, but it is likely their patience will pay off. Lorick and Harris are both bullpen arms, and likely in the non-closer variety limiting their value. On the flip side they have both been very successful in the minors, and are more advanced to the point where if they make it, they could be ready within the next 2 years. Lorick is also left-handed giving him quite a bit more value. In all it was a good return for an under-performing rental player.

Winner: Braves were kinda backed in the corner here, but I think they overpaid for Lee making the Cubs the winner in this deal. Atlanta improves some on offense, but trading for someone like Adam LaRoche (again) would have made more sense for Atlanta, and probably would have cost roughly the same (maybe even a little less in terms of a prospect return).

Well it is that time of year, a time when preseason is already under way, and training camp is about to breakup and when the Vikings go from pretenders to contenders overnight. For me the return of Brett Favre is a happy time, because while the news coverage rivals the O.J. Simpson chase, at least it will bring an end to players, pundits and fans trying to float the notion of him not returning. Unless Favre was physically unable to play the position (in which case it shouldn’t have been all the negative hoopla), he was going to return and he was going to return now when training camp is breaking up.

Favre is too much of a competitor to have his career end so close to the Super Bowl, especially considering since most people wrongly try to blame Favre for the loss. That interception was ill timed, but wouldn’t have mattered if the Vikings hadn’t fumbled the ball so many times (fumbles that either cost them points or gave the Saints excellent field position). Not to mention the officiating at the end of that game was horrible and gifted the Saints that winning field goal attempt. Favre was not going to come that close to the Super Bowl, and walk away. It’s not in his blood and it is not in the way he has played the game for 20 years now.

While it might be unlikely for Favre to duplicate his numbers from last season (which were unreal for a 40 year old), Favre can still throw the ball a little bit. He returns pretty much the same offense, though I really like rookie backup running back Toby Gerhart. I would not be shocked to see Gerhart have a big impact with this team, and give Adrian Peterson some relief. I’m sure Favre would have liked to see the Vikings improve along the offensive line, since he almost got killed back there last season. Other than that question mark Favre has the pieces to turn this offense into a championship caliber team. That along with the Vikings killer defense, and Minnesota has a legitimate shot at winning the Super Bowl in (likely) Favre’s final season.

With the signing of Bryce Harper last night, did the Washington Nationals have the best draft in Major League Baseball?  Or did the Pirates, Orioles or Red Sox have a more impressive draft?

Give us your thoughts!  And we’ll be blogging more about this soon!

Two months and nine days ago the Washington Nationals took Bryce Harper with the first overall pick in the draft, finally tonight at midnight we will know whether he will join the Nationals or not. The Nationals aren’t alone in wondering whether their top pick will sign, as the majority of first round picks haven’t agreed to terms yet, but Harper is the biggest fish and all eyes will be on Washington this evening. Now most people will try to lay the blame for the stalled negotiations on either the Nationals or Harper’s “agent” Scott Boras (some will even try to throw Harper under the bus, like a 17 year old kid is really impacting the negotiations), but really the blame for the 11th hour cram session belongs at the feet of MLB.

Major League Baseball does everything in their power to hold up overslot bonuses for draft picks, particularly the major ones (i.e. Harper). Their belief is that by holding up the deals, players can’t negotiate off one another as much. Also, since they don’t like the deals, instead of having news stories about every major deal over slot that is signed, the stories end up getting lumped together with only the cream rising to the top. Take the Nationals for instance…

They signed 3 draft picks over slot yesterday spending a reported $3.8 million on Sammy Solis, A.J. Cole, and Robbie Ray. While all three of these deals were overslot (especially Cole which set a 4th round record), they weren’t nearly as widely reported as if they were signed separately. For one thing, nationally most teams are signing deals similar to these, so the national media needs to cover all of them. And locally there are three deals to write about at the same time as opposed to one, giving less space and follow up stories per deal compared to if they were signed three different times. And finally with the Bryce Harper negotiations to report on, where is the time to write about A.J. Cole’s contract?

It would seem as though MLB was right in holding off overslot deals since they accomplish their goals, unfortunately it is all smoke and mirrors and there are tangible consequences for their tactics. These agents all have a general idea of what other top prospects are going to sign for, and in fact a handful of agents represent the majority of guys who will sign the biggest deals meaning some of these agents have all the leverage they need. Secondly, with so many industry sources now like ESPN and Baseball America (among others), in addition to all the various sports bloggers these stories still get reported, and with the power of the internet we can look up these bonus figures any time. As for pushing back these deals, MLB ends up hurting both the player and the team.

Instead of helping the team’s gain leverage, Major League Baseball takes away one of their biggest advantages by making them wait. By browbeating teams into not announcing big signings earlier teams can’t use the leverage of starting their minor league career earlier (this also hurts the players by setting them back). While the weekly pay in the minors isn’t anything special, the sooner a player starts in the minors then in all likelihood the sooner he gets to the majors and starts earning big money (this is also for the agents who hold out for 50K). Players who sign right away get an extra 3 months of minor league ball and a chance to assimilate with other draft picks. While three months doesn’t seem like a big deal, it can be for hitters it is their first extended time hitting with wooden bats, and for pitchers they have to learn to pitch differently against wooden bats, and for teams they get three months to daily evaluate these players to see what they need to work on, and if they need any major changes. So instead of helping teams, MLB just hurts them and their draft picks by setting them back from helping in the big leagues.

So what does all of this mean? Well that the Major League Baseball draft system is pretty screwed up is a good first answer, but the real answer is not alot. I fully expect Harper and almost every other 1st round pick to sign. In addition the vast majority of other top 10 round picks will sign by midnight as well. As for Harper specifically, I think he will get a record bonus, and quite possibly an MLB contract (it will help defer the bonus). Hopefully in the future some changes will be made to this system, but for now let’s not blame so much the teams, agents and players and look at who is really behind this charade.

According to Baseball America, the Washington Nationals inked two 7 figure deals this morning with their 2nd (LHP Sammy Solis) and 4th round picks (RHP A.J. Cole). The signings show that they aren’t just pegging all of their hopes on 1st round pick Bryce Harper (who is still expected to sign by tomorrow night’s deadline). Both Solis and Cole project to be top 3 starters and are desperately needed arms for the Nats future rotation.

While Solis is the Nats 2nd round pick, his bonus ($1 million) is reportedly half of what Cole got as the 4th round pick. Solis did receive over $300K what the typical ‘slot price’ of his selection would receive. Giving him quite the nice pay day. Solis is a college lefty and is much closer to the majors. If everything goes well he could be ready for the show by early 2012 (if not sooner). Solis profiles as a number 3 starter and would look quite good in the Nationals rotation behind Strasburg and Zimmermann. Now that is the best case scenario, and what the Nats are hoping for after shelling out $1 million, but at the very least he should be a solid 5th starter.

A.J. Cole is the real prize here even if it is all potential. He is a tall, projectable RHP who already touches the high 90′s. In addition to his power fastball, Cole has shown a plus curve ball and a solid potential changeup. If all three pitches continue to develop, Cole could very well end up as a 1 or a 2 (much more likely his ceiling). Cole is well worth the investment of $2 million and was considered by some to be the 2nd or 3rd best High School pitcher in the draft. His price tag and lack of refinement pushed him down in the draft, but he is well worth a 4th round pick and the early 1st round money the Nats gave up to ink him. While he might not be a truly finished product, Cole has a bright future.

The Nationals did a great job signing these two young pitchers. By grabbing higher upside guys with bigger price tags, the Nats turned their 4th round pick into a Top 15 pick value, and their 2nd round pick (51st overall) into the value of the low 30′s. Now if the the Nationals can add 12th round pick Robbie Ray, a LHP who is committed to Arkansas in addition to Bryce Harper, Washington could have the best draft class in baseball, and a farm system that can begin to produce All-Star caliber talent.

Now overall I take preseason performances with a grain of salt, but I do think the Redskins saw some individual and unit positives and negatives. Here is a quick run down of what I saw and what I was hoping to see:

Albert Haynesworth Is Pretty Good: Haynesworth didn’t record a single tackle or pass defense, but he had by far the best night of any player. Haynesworth might have been playing with the 2nd team defense, but he was playing against the majority of the 1st team Bills offense, and while his time was limited, he made a major impact. Haynesworth showed that if he is in a defense where he is ‘turned loose’ he is well worth his price tag. Haynesworth will also be his most effective when he is playing next to starting NT Kemoeatu and the rest of the first team defense (imagine how happy the linebackers will be with Haynesworth on that line).

Brandon Banks Is Pretty Fast: Banks is a little guy you got to like, and as a fan you like him a lot more after he broke that punt return for a touchdown. It might be early but I think the Redskins found their returner, and will need to create a spot for Banks on the roster. Banks is a threat to take the ball to the house every time he touches the ball. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see Banks catch any passes last night, but if he shows any offensive potential he has to be a lock for a roster spot.

Young Running Backs Shine: So much was made this offseason of the Redskins veteran running back trio, but the only veteran running back we saw was starter Clinton Portis. Instead of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, we saw 3rd year back Ryan Torain and rookie free agent Keiland Williams, and I don’t think any Redskin fan minded seeing the young guys. Torain and Williams combined for 113 yards and Williams added two touchdowns. Both players ran hard and did a lot of little things well. And both showed they at least deserve consideration for roster spots. It might be impractical for them to both make the roster over Johnson and Parker, but you have to consider the possibility. Torain and Williams have a lot of upside and also showed some ability blocking and catching the football as well. They are also cheaper and under team control for longer than Johnson and Parker. It is possible the Skins keep four backs, but that means another position would be weaker.

The Starting Offensive Line Looked Really Good: What’s most surprising is last night that good performance included RT Stephon Heyer (shocking I know). Heyer performed pretty well last night, especially in pass protection. Heyer also didn’t commit penalties which he was always notorious for. As surprising as it is, Heyer might now be a valuable backup offensive lineman. As for the rest of the starting o-line, Trent Williams looked really good as well and Washington might have a quality unit.

The Backup O-Line Is Struggling: It’s a good thing the starting unit was good, because depth could be a serious issue along the offensive line. Third string quarterback John Beck didn’t have a chance last night, as he was constantly under pressure. This unit will have to show more consistency if they want to have futures in the NFL.

All in all it was a good day for Redskin football and some young guys really stepped up for them. It is one game, but hopefully it is a sign of things to come.

In looking at the Redskins depth chart one thing that is hard to come by are rookie free agents, which isn’t too surprising since the Skins largely ignored bringing in many significant college players to minicamp. In fact in the 77 names on the depth chart only 5 are rookie free agents. Now I know most people will say what is the big deal, only a handful will make the team in their first year (if any at all), but it is a good cheap way to find some diamonds in the rough that the Redskins completely ignored. By comparison the Indianapolis Colts have 16 rookie free agents on their 80 man depth chart (this does include so players they picked up on waivers after they were cut by their original signing team). So the Colts who were basically one onside kick away from being Super Bowl Champions have space for 16 non-drafted players, and the Redskins who went 4-12 last year only have space for 5? This doesn’t make much sense to me. Now the majority of those Colts players won’t make the final roster or even the practice squad, but it shows the Colts were diligent in looking for future NFL talent. While I’m disappointed with the Redskins overall approach (to well everything, but particularly the draft and rookie free agency) I am happy with a few of the names the Skins brought in.

Kick Returner/? Brandon Banks: Banks doesn’t have a true position, though I’m sure if he makes the team he will learn a little wide receiver and running back, but he is a burner. He was one of the best kickoff returners in college football last season and could be a poor man’s Darren Sproles (probably closer to Stefan Logan in Pittsburgh). He will need to be extremely impressive in preseason to make the team, but the Skins have a major need there.

Running back/Kick Returner Keiland Williams: Williams faces a crowded backfield with 3 veterans and a former Shanahan draft pick ahead of him on the depth chart. Despite being the 5th running back (he’s not even listed as a back on the 4 deep depth chart), Williams could surprise and make this team. He has great size and if he shows some speed could become a dangerous combination. He isn’t a burner so it is surprising to see him listed as a kickoff returner, but he did lose some weight since college and might be able to handle the job. Despite being a rookie and not a fulltime starter at LSU, Williams is a pretty refined running back who does a little of everything well. At the very least I see a practice squad job in his future.

Tight End Logan Paulsen: Paulsen could have a solid chance of making the team, despite being a tight end. The Redskins have two starting caliber tight ends, but are looking for a blocking tight end to compliment them. Paulsen has to beat out Lee Vickers for the spot (and there is always the chance they only keep two tight ends), but he is a nice raw project for the position. If he shows he can be an effective blocker, his pass catching inabilities won’t matter. Whether he is on the active roster or practice squad I believe Paulsen has a good chance of being the Skins 3rd tight end.

Wide Receiver Shay Hodge: Hodge is a guy I happen to love, and he really came on his senior year at Ole Miss. He is athletic and has good size, though isn’t really known as a physical guy. He doesn’t have great straight line speed, but he always seems to play faster than he times. He probably isn’t really an option as a returner which will hurt his value, but could find roles on coverage units. The Redskins signed a number of veteran (though not very good ones) wide receivers this offseason so it is an uphill climb for Hodge, but he is already above Bobby Wade and Mike Furrey on the depth chart. Hodge is also one of only 3 receivers who stand taller than 6’0″ on the roster giving him a slight advantage. It might be a long shot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hodge made the final roster, I think he has a future in this league and hopefully it is with the Redskins.

Free Safety Anderson Russell: Russell got overshadowed at times at Ohio State, but he has good size and physical tools that he could end up latching on to a NFL team. His best value to Washington is he can play free safety, which is a bit of a stretch for a number of Redskins safeties. I’d say his chances of making the final roster aren’t that great, but he could end up getting a practice squad role.

The Deal: Hornets trade PG Darren Collison and F James Posey to the Pacers, who trade PF Troy Murphy to the Nets, who trade SG Courtney Lee to the Rockets, who trade G-F Trevor Ariza to the Hornets.

New Orleans: The Hornets cashed in on their best trade chip in Darren Collison and got a fair return for their efforts. Trevor Ariza is a promising athletic wing who does a little of everything well on offense, while at the same time is a stopper on defense. He isn’t going to be a dynamic scorer, but he is a solid 4th option to Paul, West and Okafor. His best asset is his defensive ability as he has the size and quickness to guard pretty much any SF in the league. As for his price tag its not a bad deal for the Hornets since he makes roughly the same as Posey (who at this point is just a high priced back up). Giving up Collison was hard, and I probably would have liked to see a future 1st round pick come back in return (even if it was 2-3 years away), but Ariza alone is a solid return.

Indiana: The Pacers are really the big winners here as they fill their biggest need in PG Darren Collison. Collison had a very nice rookie season and is poised to be a breakout player. He should be a playoff caliber PG and that is exactly what was holding the Pacers back. On top of that, Indiana controls him (cheaply I might add) for the next 4 seasons. They did have to take on an extra year of James Posey, who is a capable backup (though a bit pricey) but it isn’t a significant longterm commitment. Also Indiana saved $4 million this year, plus an additional $4 million in a luxury tax hit, that will more than pay for Posey’s salary next year. Troy Murphy is a nice ball player, and a pretty good trade chip with an expiring deal, but Indiana wasn’t likely to resign him and were able to cash him in for a young talented point guard and some cash.

New Jersey: The Nets did well here in acquiring Troy Murphy. He is a double-double 4 who should fit nicely next to Brook Lopez on the floor. His presence means they can bring Derrick Favors along slowly (which I think is key), and still have a strong starting lineup. They had the cap room so they won’t take on an luxury tax penalty. And while Courtney Lee is a nice promising player, they have some other options on the wing. The best thing about Murphy is his expiring deal, which will likely get shipped to a contender (or just someone trying to clear cap space) by the trade deadline and bring the Nets back some young players/draft picks.

Houston: This was pretty clearly a salary dump for the Rockets. They took on money last trade deadline/ this summer and needed to cut down their luxury tax bill. Giving up Ariza was probably hard, but they didn’t get nothing in return. Lee is a nice SG and is young, cheap and controllable. He should be a good option for the Rockets off the bench, while at the same time saving them some significant money.

Winner(s): I really like what the Nets, and especially the Pacers did in this deal. The Hornets made a solid move in getting Ariza, but sacrificed their best trade chip. The Rockets dumped salary but did take on an inferior player. They are a deep team, but there is no way to sell that they are better over the next few years with Lee over Ariza.

Looking at the Redskins depth chart, I was very interested to see where the rookies will fit in, and wasn’t too surprised that only Trent Williams is listed as a starter. Now that isn’t because the Redskins are some deep playoff team with an All-Pro at every position. No, it is because once again the Redskins traded away their middle picks and didn’t trade any of their assets (Campbell, McIntosh, Rogers), or trading back in the 1st round to stock pile young talent.

I’ll include Jarmon on this list since even though he isn’t a rookie, he was the Redskins 3rd round pick. I’m not including McNabb on this list because they only acquired one year of McNabb, paid an additional pick next year, and finally he is an aging veteran. Even if he re-signs, you aren’t building for the future, you are riding out the end of his career (if it’s a Warner or Favre ending great, if it is Brunell or Bledsoe ending, it could get ugly). The Redskins did get value by trading for Carriker (just swapping spots), so I do give them credit there but he has been around for a couple of years so I won’t include him either.

OT Trent Williams: Williams is firmly entrenched as a starter, and by all indications he will be the blind side tackle when the season opens. With the acquisition of Jamaal Brown I would have considered easing Williams in, but if he can handle it that is what you drafted him for. By all indications Williams is meeting or even exceeding expectations of being the 4th overall pick, which is a good thing because he could really be what this draft is based off of.

DE Jeremy Jarmon: Jarmon intrigues me quite a bit, he has bulked up some and should be able to handle being a 3-4 DE and a nickel DT, but he is pretty buried on the depth chart. Now I understand that bringing in veterans who better understand the 3-4 was key, but I just hope that Jarmon will get a fair shot this year and a decent chunk of playing time. Next to Williams he has the best chance of becoming a very good starting caliber player (potentially even a star).

ILB Perry Riley: Riley was solid value for a 4th round pick though the Redskins did pass up more pressing needs to draft him. Riley so far looks like he will be the primary backup (and potentially replacement) for Rocky McIntosh at inside linebacker. Riley will probably have his biggest impact on coverage teams as a rookie, but this is an important preseason for him to establish his future.

FB Dennis Morris: Morris was initially left off the depth chart and even when he is on he is listed as 3rd string at a position that sometimes only gets one player to make the final roster. Morris is behind converted LB Darryl Young and I think he will at least make the practice squad but it will be an uphill climb for the 6th round pick. Morris has a lot of promise, but the roster crunch could leave him looking for a job.

WR Terrance Austin: The Redskins added a number of new receivers this offseason to go along with holdovers Santana Moss, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, so it could be tough to crack the Skins roster, but Austin has a fair shot. For one thing the Redskins have quantity not quality at receiver, and it wouldn’t shock me in the least to see one of Thomas or Kelly traded. For another thing Austin could secure a spot as a returner, which is a wide open competition right now. I don’t know if he makes the 53 man roster but a practice squad spot would be likely, given future need.

C Erik Cook: Cook right now is listed as a center, but I wouldn’t be shocked if his future is at guard. For one thing the Redskins have good depth at center in durable starter Casey Rabach and backup and former Shanahan draft pick Kory Lichtensteiger. Lichtensteiger can also kick out to guard, which has the least amount of depth on the offensive line. I would guess the Redskins want Cook to learn the offensive line calls as a center just in case but will keep him as a backup at all three interior line positions. He is a bit of a project, but could develop into a starter a few years from now.

OT Selvish Capers: I am a little surprised to see Capers listed as a 3rd string LT as opposed to a RT, since most people feel like that is his natural position in the NFL. Capers did play LT in college so maybe it is just a matter of easing him in. Capers is a great sleeper pick and could very well end up being the Redskins 2nd best player from this draft class. He is a raw talent and still has some things to learn, but 2-3 years from now he could be a fixture on the Skins line. I think it would be a major surprise if he doesn’t make the team.

In all I believe only Morris and Austin are really on the roster bubble, and both could find a spot if they can contribute on special teams. This won’t be a rookie class for the ages, but there is some future potential there in Jarmon and Capers to be top notch starters. Morris, Riley and Cook could all develop into starters as well (though I don’t believe all of these players will, just that they have the potential). Unfortunately outside of Trent Williams and some special teams help, the Redskins won’t get much impact this season from their draft class.

The Washington Redskins released their first public depth chart yesterday and their were a few notable surprises. The first of which was the exclusion of rookie Dennis Morris from the fullback race, but his name has since been added. Here is a break down of some of my thoughts with a first glance at the depth chart:

The Receivers could be this teams biggest weakness: If the season were to start today Santana Moss and Joey Galloway would be McNabb’s top options. That doesn’t bode well for those fans hoping for a playoff berth. While the starters are bad enough the 2nd man at each spot is Roydell Williams and Anthony Armstrong, leaving once touted prospects Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly 3rd on the depth chart. Not only is it troubling that Thomas and Kelly have fallen, but it makes you wonder when the three tallest receivers in camp (Thomas, Kelly and Shay Hodge) are all buried on the depth chart. Things will ideally change between now and the start of the season, but this is not a playoff caliber group unless the young guys step up.

The Offensive Line is extremely thin: The Skins did well to improve their starters this season, but with Mike Williams injury their offensive line depth is razor thin. Good old names like Stephon Heyer and Chad Rinehart are just one injury away from playing significant time. Washington needs to develop Edwin Williams, Erik Cook and Selvish Capers fast or it could be a long season for McNabb in D.C.

The Defensive Line looks deep, but it may be too deep: The Skins went out and brought in some 3-4 D-linemen this year, and that should help pay off, but some of these guys are just filler. I like the Carriker, Kemoeatu and Holliday additions, but it did bury Jeremy Jarmon on the depth chart. I’ll be very interested in seeing how he transitions into the 3-4, as I like his upside and hope he can find a place on the team. Even with all the upgrades this defensive front will rely quite a bit on Albert Haynesworth. While he is listed as the 2nd string NT all reports indicate he will be playing right DE when the season starts. Now that is the correct way to use him, but it will remain to be seen if they have enough talent around him to make teams pay for double teaming him.