The 26-year old pitcher is off to a rough start with the Rockies in 2012 with a 0-2 record, 8.66 ERA, 1.0 HR/9, 6.6 BB/9 and 10.7 SO/9 in 17.2 innings.

In 2011 he went 6-6 with a 7.05 ERA, 1.5 HR/9, 5.1 BB/9 and 6.8 SO/9 in 83.0 innings.

Right now, he’s projected to finish the season with a 4-9 record, with a 5.85 ERA, 1.09 HR/9, 4.35 BB/9 and 7.27 SO/9 while pitching 107 innings.

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Today, Buster Olney of ESPN (via Stephen Hewitt of WEEI.com) said that the team will actually “look at possible trade situations for Youkilis as he makes his return.”

“I’ve talked with a number of executives at other teams this week, because this looks like it’s headed down that path,” Olney said. “Unless there’s an injury to a David Ortiz or to an Adrian Gonzalez, eventually you’re going to have a situation when the Red Sox, who are presumably going to want to find a way to keep Middlebrooks in the big leagues, they’re going to have to figure out what to do with Youkilis.”

Olney added that other General Managers need to see about three “productive and healthy” weeks from Youkilis to gauge his trade value. “They think then, that’s when you can get a little something in return,” Oleny added. “Not great, they’re not going to get a Grade A prospect, they’re probably not even going to get a Grade A-minus prospect because of the amount of money owed to him.

“But there’s clearly a lot of places where he could land. The Dodgers, I think are in an evaluation period now with their first baseman James Loney, because he’s gotten off to a terrible start. … I think the Chicago White Sox potentially are a fit for Youkilis as a third baseman, and potentially in his hometown of Cincinnati would be a great fit for him because they need a right-handed hitter who can play third base especially now that Scott Rolen’s career might be over.”

Youkilis is projected to hit .255/.355/.443 with 16 HR’s and a .349 wOBA (ZiPS Updated data), but he’s still a good player that could interest any team in the majors looking for an offensive boost.

Middlebrooks, who is nine years younger than Youkilis, is projected to hit .256/.290/.446 with 17 HR’s and a .321 wOBA.

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The 34-year old second baseman was hitting just .211/.260/.317 with 1 HR, 11 RBI’s and a 63 OPS+ in 123 AB’s for the Padres this season.

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Romak, 26, was hitting .147/.216/.206 with 2 RBI’s and a .422 OPS in 34 AB’s for the Royals’ Triple-A team at Omaha.

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– The New York Yankees have claimed infielder Matt Antonelli of waivers from the Baltimore Orioles according to Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger. Antonelli was hitting .204/.357/.280 with 1 HR and a .636 OPS in 93 AB’s with the Orioles’ Triple-A team.

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– The Oakland Athletics have placed third baseman Brandon Inge on the 15-day Disabled List with a groin injury according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’ll be available to come off the DL on May 28.

– The Minnesota Twins placed right handed pitcher Nick Blackburn on the 15-day Disabled List with a a strained left quadricep muscle according to Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.

– Mariners catcher, Miguel Olivo will join the team in Colorado this weekend for some workouts before going out on a rehab stint according Greg Johns of MLB.com.

– Austin Jackson is not on the Tigers lineup today due to an ab strain according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

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Carrasco, 35, went 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA, 4.9 HR/9, 0.0 BB/9 and 7.4 SO/9 in 3.2 innings this season with the Mets.

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The 32-year old lefty went 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA, 0.0 HR/9, 5.4 BB/9 and 5.4 SO/9 in 6.2 innings with the White Sox this season.

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Blackley went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA, 0.0 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 3.6 SO/9 in five innings this season with the Giants.

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MacDougal, 35, went 0-0 with a 7.94 ERA, 0.0 HR/9, 9.5 BB/9 and 6.4 SO/9 in 5.2 innings pitched with the Dodgers in 2012.

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Back in March, I speculated that Hamels could ask for a C.J. Wilson’s type deal with the Angels (5-year $77.5 million), and that I wouldn’t go beyond five-years and $95 million, but apparently Hamels and his agent think he deserves better than Sabathia, Wilson, Matt Cain (five-year, $112 million) and Cliff Lee (five-year, $120 million).

In 2012 Hamels is 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.6 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9 and 9.3 SO/9 in 47.1 innings.

In 2011, he totaled 216 innings and walked only 44 batters for a solid 1.8 BB/9. He struck out 8.1 batters per nine innings which is good, although he lowered his mark by exactly one batter compared to 2010 (9.1 K/9). He also lowered his HR/9 from 1.1 to 0.8 in 2011. The lefty also had a 31.2 VORP, which translates to a 3.1 WARP.

Lee is 0-1 with a 2.17 ERA, 0.6 HR/9, 0.9 BB/9 and 7.4 SO/9 in 29.0 innings this season. In 2011, he walked one less batter (43) in 16.2 innings more than Hamels (232.2 innings in 2011), for a 1.6 BB/9. He reached a career high in K/9 with 9.2, and improved his HR/9 by 0.2 compared to 2010 (0.9 in 2010 and 0.7 in 2011). His VORP was 49.5 which translates to a 5.2 WARP.

This season Sabathia is 5-0 with a 3.51 ERA, 0.9 HR/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 9.3 SO/9 in 51.1 innings. Last season he went 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA, 0.6 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 8.7 SO/9 in 237.1 innings. Sabathia’s VORP was 39.2 and his WARP 3.9. Again, Sabathia outperformed Hamels in SO/9 and HR/9, even though Sabathia’s home park is Yankee Stadium. He also pitched 21.1 innings more than Hamels.

Now, I’m not saying Ruben Amaro Jr. won’t give him what he’s asking for, or any other GM in free agency, but I do believe that he does not, under any circumstances deserve a contract higher than Sabathia’s and Lee’s contract.

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This makes a lot of sense, because as Costa points out, if they can’t reach an agreement with Wright before next winter, they’ll probably have to consider trading him during that time. Back in April we discussed the possibility of Wright staying in New York.

I said that the team should let Wright play the season and determine whether he’d prove value to the team or not, beyond being the face of the franchise. So far, Wright is making a hell of a case for himself batting .400/.489/.591 with 4 HR’s, 21 RBI’s and a 204 OPS+, so no wonder why the Mets have decided to prepare an offer to him.

The problem for the Mets right now is that Wright’s leverage is really high, given his numbers, and a new deal for the third baseman could be pricey for them. But if they can’t reach an agreement with him, and he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, the asking price for Wright in a potential trade would be really high too.

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Romero, 35, went 0-0 with a 10.13 ERA, 3.4 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 5.6 SO/9 in 8.0 innings with the Cardinals this season.

He has a career record of 34-28 with a 4.15 ERA, 0.8 HR/9, 5.1 BB/9 and 7.2 SO/9 in 657.1 innings with the Twins, Angels, Red Sox, Phillies, Rockies and Cardinals.

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– Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has a torn ACL and will require surgery according to a team Press Release. The team will place him on the 15-DL, but he’ll probably be out for the reminder of the season.

– Right handed pitcher Chris Carpenter won’t begin a throwing program until at least mid-June according to B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidWest. Carpenter has been progressing from his nerve irritation but he’s not ready to begin throwing says Rains. “Things are trending in the right direction,” GM John Mozeliak said. “We still don’t have a distinct timeline on when he’s going to start throwing, but I think the real positive right now is that he feels good with where he’s at and he’s definitely inching in the right direction. If I had to guess, sometime in mid-June hopefully we’ll be ready to start thinking about a throwing program.”

– Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka is scheduled to make two more starts at Triple-A Pawtucket before being summoned to the Red Sox’s Major League starting rotation reports Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston. Matsuzaka is recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent last year.

– According to the Associated Press, Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez will begin a Minor League rehab assignment this week. He’s been disabled with a strained left hamstring.

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– The San Francisco Giants designated left handed pitcher Travis Blackley for assignment according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea. Blackley went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA, 0.0 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 3.6 SO/9 in five innings this season.

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On the season, Wheeler has a 8.76 ERA in 12.1 innings of work while striking out only two batters.

The Indians had signed Wheeler to a minor-league deal back in late January.

Last season, Wheeler posted a 4.38 ERA and averaged 7 strikeouts per nine innings in 49 1/3 innings while pitching for Boston.

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Pie was playing in the independent league with the Camden River Sharks and was hitting .360 in 56 at-bats.

Pie played 85 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 2011 where he hit .220/.264/.280, but was designated for assignment in August.

He signed a deal with the Indians this past offseason but failed to make the club out of Spring Training.

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In 2011, Davis was 1-7 for the Chicago Cubs in 45 2/3 innings. Over that span, he posted a 6.50 ERA while posting a 7.1 k/9. After his nine game outing with the Cubs, he was released in June and was picked up by the White Sox but did not appear in any Major league games for them.

Davis is 92-108 with a 4.44 in 306 career games, including 286 starts.

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Miles has been working out at the Dodgers’ Spring Training facility in Arizona.

Last year in February, Miles signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers and went on to hit .275/.314/.346 with 3 home runs in 490 plate appearances. He also logged time at second base, shortstop and third base.

In 2010, while with the Cardinals, Miles played in 79 games where he hit .281/.311/.317.

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Larish, 29, last appeared in the majors in 2010 where he split time with the A’s and the Detroit Tigers. He hit .179/.267/.313 in 27 combined games for both teams.

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Back in April, reports first started to surface about the Red Sox being interested in Podsednik. They first became interested as they lost Jacoby Ellsbury for for at least six weeks, and their other speedy outfielder, Carl Crawford, is still rehabilitating for his wrist surgery.

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Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said that Blue Jays General Manager, Alex Anthopoulos, has inquired about Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino, who could become free agents at the end of the season. But as Rosenthal says, no trade is imminent. The Phillies will try to turn the season around, but if they fail to do so they already have a team showing interest in two of their potential free agents.

Victorino is hitting .244/.298/.405 with 5 HR’s and a 90 OPS+ in 131 AB’s.

Hamels is 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 1.3 BB/9 and 9.8 SO/9 in 40.1 innings.

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The right hander seemed enthusiastic during the interview and said he was confident about his health. He also said that he hasn’t started his rehab program yet because he wants to take care of some business first and then focus 100% on his baseball career. “I am absolutely not retired,” he said during the interview.

Escobar, 36, last pitched in the Majors in 2009 for the Angels. He pitched 5.0 innings before injuring his shoulder and went 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA, 0.0 HR/9, 7.2 BB/9 and 9.0 SO/9. He has a career record of 101-91 with a 4.15 ERA, 0.8 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 7.8 SO/9 in 1507.0 innings with the Blue Jays and Angels.

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The Nationals are not the only team that has checked in on Bourjos as the Diamondbacks, Royals and Blue Jays have also checked in on him.

Bourjos who started the season as the everyday center fielder for the Angels recently lost his job to top prospect Mike Trout.

The Angels’ obvious area of need in any trade would be the bullpen, but the Nationals’ bullpen recently lost Brad Lidge to the DL and already had Drew Storen on it.

The Angels also just lost Chris Iannetta to a wrist injury for 6-8 weeks and have Triple-A catcher Hank Conger, on the DL as well. So a potential could include a catcher going back to the Angels.

Bourjos hit .271 in 502 at-bats last season while posting a .327 OBP and swiping 22 bases.

This season in limited action, Bourjos is hitting .192 in 52 at-bats with a .259 OBP.

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“I watch Dave before I go to bed when I’m home, so it’s pretty cool to be on the show,” said Weaver. “As soon as you hear Dave in your earpiece, it’s a little nerve-racking, but it was fun. I had a lot of time to rehearse. They gave me a lot of time to go over the lines. And the teleprompter helped, too.”

Here’s the list:

10. You wear a glove on both hands.

9. The altitude of the mound makes you dizzy.

8. You performed your own Tommy John surgery.

7. Your pitches tend to bounce.

6. You spend most of the game sipping cocktails in the players’ wives section.

5. You can only pitch when no one’s watching.

4. Last guy you struck out was Phil Rizzuto.

3. You’re allergic to the rosin.

2. You’re still not sure if you’re a righty or a lefty.

1. Most teams don’t let the mascot pitch.

According to DiGiovanna, some of the items of the list were changed including the original number one “You pitch for the Mets.”

“I felt bad,” Weaver said. “I couldn’t say that. I’m glad they changed it.”

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