Bridge Ball

San Diego Padres owner John Moores just made a huge impact on the 2004 Pennant race. Moores decided to stick with the MLB guidelines for the first round pick, which ruled them out of both Stephen Drew and Jarred Weaver, the two top talents in the draft. Weaver apparently wanted "Prior Money", a package above $10 million and Drew was looking at big money, too. The team signed Matt Bush for $3.1 million.

Weaver in particular could well have had an impact on the NL West race. There's some thought that Weaver might be ready for the majors after only a couple starts in the minors and he could contribute in August or September. After the amount of money Moores has made in real estate around Petco Park, you'd think he'd invest in the immediate future of the team. Bush is a good player with a strong upside, but he's at least three to five years away from the bigs if everything goes well.

Who did pick Weaver? Omar Moreno's Anaheim Angels, once again proving that Moreno will spend money in the right way. It's an intriguing pick for the Angels, who could use some pitching help down the stretch.