First, Dave takes on THT's "Five Questions" on the Mariners. Give that a read, unless you're one of those people who refuses to acknowledge any viewpoint that doesn't totally disparage the organization, in which case, don't. Line of the day:
Ain't that the damn truth.
Next, Corey Brock uses a slow news day to push a trade rumor:
They might find a willing partner in the Seattle Mariners, who reportedly were contacted by the Braves to gauge their interest.
...
Atlanta reportedly is looking for relief help and could have interest in Seattle's Gil Meche or Julio Mateo.
So, to recap: the Braves might be open to moving John Thomson, and they might want Gil Meche or Julio Mateo in return from the Mariners, who might be interested in negotiating a deal. That's intense. I'd be willing to bet that Bavasi gets at least two or three calls every day from other GM's looking to gauge his interest in a player who may or may not be on the market.
Thirdly - in Adam's words, this has the makings of being a total clusterbuck:
You read that right - eight pitchers. Just when you thought Mike Hargrove was losing it...
Finally, Juan Gonzalez, who claimed to have been signed by two different teams, has shown up for zero. Remember 2000, when we were all a little excited about the trade rumors linking him to Seattle after he turned down a $140m contract offer from Detroit? I bet he doesn't. Or at least, doesn't want to.
Update: not sure how I missed this one, but John Sickels does a prospect retro on Jamie Moyer. Fun read, and it also provides a little insight into how prospect guys tend to think about these collegiate finesse pitchers that we seemed to collect for a few years there.