Mock Draft 4.0  —  Bonus demands adds more confusion to wide-open draft  —  When team officials head to bed the night before the draft, they usually have a pretty good idea of who they're going to take in the first round.  They may not know exactly who's going to fall to them …

West, Carroll enjoy big nights in Florida win  —  Starter takes no-hitter into seventh; outfielder nearly cycles  —  MIAMI — While facing off against a guy now closely related with the number 300, it was the number 1 that seemed to ring loudest at Land Shark Stadium on Monday.

The one?  All eyes on Strasburg  —  Expected to be first pick, phenom has met every test  —  At approximately 6:15 p.m. ET today, the world of Stephen Strasburg will change forever.  And, if you believe all the hype about the San Diego State right-hander, Major League Baseball may never be the same again.

Talkin' about the underappreciated base on balls, with Bill James … People have violently different views about walks in baseball.  I like them because I believe that they are still the most underappreciated weapon in baseball.  Bill likes them because they epitomize team play — “Hey …

Chipper no fan of Citi Field  —  Longtime Mets nemesis Chipper Jones did so much damage at Shea Stadium that he named one of his sons “Shea” in honor of it.  It's safe to say the Atlanta slugger won't be making any similar tributes to Citi Field.  —  Jones ripped the Mets' new park …

Interview With John Sickels & Open Draft Day Discussion Post  —  Happy Draft Day, everybody!  In addition to this post serving as an open thread to discuss the draft's developments, I had the pleasure to sit down with John Sickels and ask him a few questions.

Braves edge Pirates in 15 innings as Cox gets 2,000th win with Atlanta  —  ATLANTA (AP) — David Ross' bases-loaded infield single in the 15th inning drove in Jeff Francoeur to give the Atlanta Braves a 7-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a game that lasted almost 5 hours Monday night.

Yankees pitchers try their hand at batting practice  —  C.C. Sabathia will try his luck at the plate as the New York Yankees prepare for interleague baseball in the upcoming weeks.  (Photo by David Pokress / June 8, 2009)  —  Yankees pitchers enjoyed taking batting practice Mondayin preparation …

Cards ‘always open’ to deals, DeWitt says  —  Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. emerged from a 25-minute, closed-door meeting with manager Tony La Russa on Monday morning, but DeWitt said no trades were imminent.  —  “It was usual, catch-up stuff,” he said.

Notes from the Minors  —  On Buffalo, Binghamton, Buttzville and beyond  —  If you read Matt Cerrone's MetsBlog.com, you know that I spent the weekend on a two-city tour of the upper levels of the Mets' Minor League system.  It was a fun but tiring trip, and because I'm still recovering …

Sox diligent in shortstop search  —  The Red Sox have left no stone unturned in looking at or discussing deals for shortstops.  Whether they actually pull the trigger on something is up for debate internally as the team patiently awaits the return of Jed Lowrie, who has a great chance …

Raissman: Keith in no hurry to rip loafing Met  —  Considering the current state of effort in baseball, it's big news when a player actually busts it out of the box determined to arrive safely at his final destination.  —  Players who go catatonic as soon as they hit the ball, guys who jake it …

Phillies look beyond first draft round  —  Much of the attention surrounding Major League Baseball's draft, which begins tonight and runs through Thursday, will be focused on the first round.  —  It's only natural.  —  San Diego State righthander Stephen Strasburg, he of the triple-digit fastball …

Cust's solo shot helps A's win seventh straight, nip Twins  —  OAKLAND (AP) — Down three runs, rookie Josh Outman just kept pitching and maintained his approach.  He even struck out Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau back-to-back.  —  And the offense eventually did its part.