Mills set for draft party  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The plan, at least, is that by the time the game between the Red Sox and A's starts this afternoon, Beau Mills will know his fate.  —  If that's the case, and just about everyone in the Red Sox dugout hopes it is, there will be quite …

Nationals armed, ready for Draft  —  Washington hopes to utilize extra scouts, extra picks effectively  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have never kept it a secret that they have a long way to go when it comes to having a very good farm system.  —  However, the system could get better in a hurry.

Notes: Gambler close to return  —  Lefty Rogers optimistic after tossing simulated game  —  ARLINGTON — Left-hander Kenny Rogers felt good while pitching a two-inning simulated game on Tuesday, leaving both the pitcher and his manager optimistic he will rejoin the Tigers' rotation before the end of June.

Now, Mets are hurting for wins and players  —  Chavez injures hamstring as depleted Mets drop three in a row for first time this season  —  The Mets could handle losing players as long as they won games.  But now that the defeats are starting to stack up as rapidly as the body count …

Teixeira heads early deadline shopping list … There are 54 shopping days left until the trade deadline.  So it's time to make out those shopping lists.  —  Now unfortunately, the Psychics Hotline didn't return our calls, so we don't know for sure yet who's going to be buying and who's going to be selling.

Mock Draft  —  The Devil Rays will make Vanderbilt lefthander David Price the No. 1 overall selection in the 2007 draft, which begins today at 2 p.m. Eastern.  That's no surprise, as other clubs have said for weeks that they would have been surprised if Tampa Bay had gone in a different direction.

Premium Nats Tickets to Rise  —  At $400, New Stadium's Top Seats Among Priciest  —  Tickets for the top seats at the Washington Nationals' new stadium will cost as much as $400 per game, among the highest prices in Major League Baseball, the team announced yesterday.

In Case You Missed It . . .  With the draft and preparations for the 2007 Futures Game in San Francisco next month, things can get a little hairy around the Baseball America World Headquarters here in Durham, NC at this time of year.  —  So in case you might have missed it, here are some happenings around the minors:

Shuffle At The Top  —  Jim Callis, on his way to a Chicagoland studio to participate in ESPN's draft coverage, reports the Royals appear to have settled on Mike Moustakas with the No. 2 overall pick.  That would slide Josh Vitters to the Cubs at No. 3.  The Royals looked like they were on Vitters …

MLB Amateur Draft: Pirates pick 4th, but they may have limited options  —  Rose Palmisano, The Orange County Register  —  Josh Vitters, a third baseman for Anaheim (Calif.) Cypress High School tops the Pirates' wish list.  —  The Pirates face a bunch of questions concerning …

Ring up No. 500  —  Hoffman raises his own career saves record to landmark level  —  The bells just keep ringing and ringing and ringing.  —  At this point, only a fool would predict when they will stop.  —  Trevor Hoffman fastened another save onto his all-time record last night, raising the total to a tidy 500.

Gameday Triple Play  —  "Plate discipline though is difficult to measure.  Good plate discipline can mean swinging at the first pitch, fouling off the fifth, taking the tenth; it's about hitting when it's possible to do so and walking when not.  If it's possible to hit, a walk is a relative failure.

Video: Heckling the wild and crazy Julian Tavarez  —  It is well documented that not only is Julian Tavarez not the biggest student of the game, he's a bit... hmm... crazy?  —  It is interesting, then, that out of all the players on the Red Sox, the hecklers who shot this video below decided to pick Tavarez as their target.

Angels Aim High  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.-The Angels first pick was No. 58 overall, and they took an unproven, raw pitcher from Florida with lots of upside.  Jonathan Bachanov from nearby University High in Orlando, showed mid-90s velocity this year and much better command than he had flashed as an underclassman.