Around The Majors- Tuesday

Tuesday baseball is on SOS2 today and myself and the entire SprungOnSports network mourn the tragic loss of Sean Taylor today. Onto some baseball, where talks are heating up and some things just never change. MLB.com's Top 50 prospects countdown also continues.

11:30am EST
-The Yankees and Twins are indeed talking about a Johan Santana trade but they are in the super preliminary stages according to Hank Steinbrenner. In a radio interview this morning, ESPN's Buster Olney said that both teams have barely gotten off the ground in these talks, and other teams have had similar conversations as well.
-Mike Hampton is once again injured. Once thought to be a lock for the Braves rotation next season, Hampton injured his hamstring in the Mexican Winter League last week, and bleeding outside the muscle makes it unclear when he'll return to the mound. "Now we just have less of an indication of where Mike is in his comeback," Braves general manager Frank Wren told MLB.com. "The good news is that he was ecstatic about how his arm felt and how he commanded his pitches." Hampton has not pitched since the 2005 season.
-The Astros added a piece to their bullpen yesterday, inking righty Doug Brocail. The signing will be announced today. The 40 year old was 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 67 games for the Padres.
-The Boss was very vague when the Twins asked him for his list of untouchables, says the New York Post. The Mets have shown interest in Shawn Chacon and Octavio Dotel for their bullpen. -The Yankees have reached out to David Riske, says the Newark Star-Ledger.
-According to Newsday, the Mets have the option to nontender the contract of Johnny Estrada, making him a free agent and saving 3.2 million dollars which they could give to another team in a deal for a catcher like Gerald Laird, Ramon Hernandez, Brian Schneider, or Bengie Molina.
-The Angels and Marlins are still arguing over a combination of prospects, according to the Los Angeles Times. Dodgers GM Ned Colleti said that Joe Torre could be the team's only big acquisition. Florida is asking too much for Cabrera and talks have stalled with the Orioles regarding Erik Bedard.
-The Royals are denying a Dominican report that said that KC and Jose Guillen have agreed on a 1 year deal. GM Dayton Moore said that Baltimore is still in the mix. Yasuhiko Yabuta will take a physical with the Royals and then officially announce his signing. (KC Star)
-Seattle may be the clear favorites for Hiroki Kuroda, but the Phillies are going strong after Randy Wolf, says the Philadelphia Inquirer.
-The Rockies are talking about resigning both Matt Herges and Yorvit Torrealba, according to the Denver Post.
-The Diamondbacks are waiting to hear back with a counter offer from Hiroki Kuroda, says the Arizona Republic.
-Aaron Rowand could return to the White Sox, according to the Chicago Tribune. The White Sox are also interested in Cesar Izturis.
-The Brewers are going after Dotel, Troy Percival, and Eric Gagne. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
-Talks are intensifying between Boston and Minnesota about Coco Crisp.
-The Dodgers are now going after Kuroda, says the LA Daily News. -The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are the frontrunners for Kaz Matsui. Kerry Wood wants to close for the Cubs. (Daily Herald)
-The Cardinals are going after Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse. The Cards could also be looking to trade Scott Rolen. (St Louis Post-Dispatch)
-The Dodgers expect Jeff Kent back next season. (Orange County Register)
-The Yankees are trying to make an offer to trade for Ron Mahay. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
-The Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox will be allowed to carry 28 players for their series in Japan against the A's as they are starting the season with a 19 day road trip. As a Yankee fan I believe that's BS, because they weren't able to do that when they went and started the season terribly. Let's give the BoSox all the advantages!

MLB.com's Top Prospect Countdown 31-40
Some players that made a difference in last year's 31-40 include Erick Aybar, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, James Loney, John Danks, Yunel Escobar, Jacoby Ellsbury, Hunter Pence, Felix Pie, and Daric Barton. WOW.

40) Luke Hocheaver- RSP- KC
-The 2006 #1 overall pick didn't do as well as expected in AA and AAA last year, going 4-9 with a 4.68 ERA in 27 games (26 starts). He pitched well in 4 games in the bigs last year and can throw 4 pitches for strikes. He'll be up sometime next season.
39) Chris Volstad- RSP- FLA
-The 20 year old 2005 first rounder has a heavy sinker that gets a lot of ground balls, and pitched pretty well last year in hi A and AA. He went 12-11 with a 4.16 ERA in 28 starts but does give up a lot of hits. He has a very good curve and change and should be up sometime next season.
38-) Elvis Andrus- SS- TEX
-The 19 year old top SS spect was traded from the Braves in the Teixeira deal and is a great defender with speed who is still working on his hitting. In hi A last year, Andrus had a .257-5-49-.338 season with 40 steals in 55 attempts. He could be in the majors in 2009, and has the tools to be special.
37) Ross Detwiler- LSP- WSH
-The Nats' top pitching prospect was their first round pick this year with a 2 seam and 4 seam fastball, a curve and a change. He pitched well in 9 games last year in Rookie and A ball, and even pitched an inning for the big club. His sample size is small, but he could be up for good in 2009.
36) Scott Elbert- LSP- LAD
-He has amazing potential with his high 90's heater with a curve and a change, but had to have shoulder surgery that ended his year in AA after just 2 starts. He's still just 22 and will be back in AA next season. ETA:2009.
35) Max Scherzer- RSP- ARZ
-The 2006 first rounder and Scott Boras client held out until this past May, but was fantastic when he finally played. The 23 year old went 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 17 starts in A and AA with very few hits and a whole lot of k's. Upper 90's fastball and good slider, he could be up next season.
34) Joey Votto- 1B- CIN
-The Canadian lefty is ready for the show and a huge career at the GABP. In AAA he went .294-22-92-.381 and played 24 games for the Reds, hitting .321 with 4 homers and 17 ribs. Did I mention he also stole 17 bags in the minors? He's ready to start at first right now.
33) Andy LaRoche- 3B- LAD
-Adam's little bro did very well for himself last year, batting .309 in AAA and playing 35 games in the big leagues. A right handed hitter who is patient and loves to walk, and has been rumored in trades because the Dodgers have no room for him right now. He'd be a valuable asset to any team that plays him, though.
32) Reid Brignac- SS- TB
-He's the Rays shortstop of the future, and can hit for power with speed. In AA last year, Brignac went .260-17-81-.328 with 15 steals. Though he did walk a decent amount, he needs to get on base more in order to elevate his value. He'll be up next September and will be up in 2009 for good.
31) Chris Marrero- OF- WSH
-He's 19 and can flat out rake. A typical big power hitter, Marrero batted .275 with 23 homers and 88 ribbies in 2 A levels with an OBP that needs to be worked on. He strikes out a lot, but has big league power right now and will be a September callup.