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FanGraphs | Craig Edwards: The Twins traded Phil Hughes to the Padres in exchange for them taking on his remaining salary, but with an interesting throw-in... the Padres will also receive a compensatory round draft pick, meaning they’re essentially “buying” a draft pick. But more importantly, it means they’re buying more draft pool money, which is a dollar amount that is worth more than in free agent because of its scarcity. If the Padres use this money to, say, sway Kyler Murray from playing football, it could be a worthwhile investment.
Baseball Prospectus | Rob Mains ($): This piece answers the following question: do switch-hitters peak later than other handed hitters? The answer is probably, as switch-hitters peak around age-28 and then have a “normal” True Average aging curve thereafter. It could mean quite a few things about the nature of taking up switch-hitting, and whether that skill takes longer to develop. It could also mean little, as the sample size of such hitters is small enough that it could mean more noise than sound.
Bill James Online | John Dewan: Who led the league in Defensive Runs Saved in May? The answer is Lorenzo Cain, who saved six runs this past month. After signing a five-year, $80 million contract with the Brewers, it makes it all the more puzzling that teams balked at Cain considering how much immediate value he is providing on both sides of the ball.