If the Padres finish with the worst record in baseball, they would be able to draft San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg. ?I wouldn't say any one player is worth tanking, because you can destroy a lot of credibility,? Baseball America's Jim Callis said Monday. ?But if you're going to have a bad season, and the Padres are doing that, it certainly behooves you to finish with the worst record possible so you can claim the best possible draft pick. Strasburg would help ease the pain of 2008, and being a local product wouldn't hurt either.? According to scouts, Strasburg projects as a No. 1 or 2 starting pitcher who could be in the majors a year or two after he signs. ?Put him behind Jake Peavy and Chris Young in Petco Park, you can come back in a hurry,? a National League scout said.

The Diamondbacks have traded much of their top talent from their farm system in deals for Dan Haren, Adam Dunn and Jon Rauch, but will replenish their system with nine picks in the first 70 to 75 selections of next year's amateur draft. The additional draft-pick compensation would come from the expected departures of Dunn, Orlando Hudson and relievers Brandon Lyon and Juan Cruz as free agents. The D-backs' concern that Dunn might accept salary arbitration is minimal. He is not yet 29,and headed for his fifth straight 40-homer season. In an era of decreased power, he should be in demand.

The Giants are on the cusp of signing first-round pick Buster Posey to a major league contract worth roughly $7.5 million, industry sources told the Mercury News. The signing bonus, while spread over multiple years, would obliterate the club record for an amateur player. Dominican teenage outfielder Rafael Ramirez received $2.55 million in July. But General Manager Brian Sabean said earlier Wednesday that the club might not sweat to the 11th hour of Friday's deadline. "Possibly, but it's getting closer," Sabean said.