Daily Dose: GM says Peavy's return is '50-50' - MLB

General manager Kevin Towers revealed Thursday that Jake Peavy is
“50-50” to return from his ankle injury to pitch again this season.
“We’ll know more when he comes out of the cast,” Towers said. “I can’t
speak for Jake, but I’d much rather have him ready for 2010 than
risking a more serious injury by coming back too early this year.”

The injury erases whatever chance Towers had of finding an
acceptable deal for Peavy this year and he also indicated that the
Padres won’t look to trade Adrian Gonzalez or Heath Bell. However,
pitchers like Chad Gaudin, Kevin Correia, and Cla Meredith could be on
the block and Towers said that he doesn’t “see [Brian] Giles taking
playing time away from” the young outfielders once he’s healthy.

While the Padres choose to tweak rather than rebuild, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that Boston is
“desperately” trying to trade Julio Lugo with both Mike Lowell and Jed
Lowrie on the verge of coming off the disabled list. According to
Rosenthal the Red Sox have informed teams that they’re willing to eat
nearly all of Lugo’s remaining deal–which pays $9 million this year and
another $9 million in 2010–in exchange for a marginal prospect.

Lugo has hit .284/.352/.367 in 37 games since coming back from knee
surgery, which basically matches his .271/.335/.390 career line, but
his defense has been terrible and the Red Sox clearly prefer Nick Green
as their utility man with Lowrie and Lowell set to return this weekend.
In the third year of a four-year, $36 million contract, Lugo has hit
.251/.319/.346 while missing one-third of Boston’s games.

* General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Thursday that Pedro Martinez
could be ready to make his Phillies debut as soon as July 30 against
the Giants. Martinez was placed on the disabled list with a strained
shoulder immediately after signing a one-year deal, but the stint is
just about building up arm strength. After seeking a $5 million
contract, Pedro ended up signing for under $1 million in guarantees.

* Released last week when the Blue Jays opted to eat the remaining
$15 million on his contract, B.J. Ryan inked a minor-league deal with
the Cubs on Thursday. Ryan clearly poses no threat to Kevin Gregg or
Carlos Marmol at this point, but it costs the Cubs just a prorated
portion of the league minimum to find out if he has anything left in
the tank as a possible middle reliever or situation left-hander.

AL Quick Hits: Adrian Beltre played catch Thursday for the first
time since June 30 shoulder surgery and said that he hopes to play
again this year … According to Joe Maddon there’s a “50-50 or 60-40”
chance that Evan Longoria (finger) will be available Friday after
missing the All-Star game … Kansas City has a new left side of the
infield with Yuniesky Betancourt and Alex Gordon both coming off the
disabled list Thursday … Alexi Casilla will get another chance at
second base in Minnesota after hitting .340 following his demotion to
Triple-A … Derek Holland has rejoined Texas’ rotation and Orlando
Hernandez could request his release from Triple-A after being told that
he won’t be called up … Chris Perez revealed Thursday that he’s “been
getting cortisone shots all year” on a left foot injury that will
require offseason surgery … Justin Duchscherer (elbow) threw 30 pitches
on the side Thursday and is hoping to begin a rehab stint by the end of
the month.

NL Quick Hits: Raul Ibanez picked up right where he left off
Thursday, homering twice … Chris Volstad served up three homers
Thursday to give him 20 bombs allowed in 113 innings after giving up
just three in 84 frames last year … Manny Corpas came off the disabled
list Thursday and will resume setting up for Huston Street … Scott
Olsen has been scratched from his scheduled Friday start with shoulder
tightness … Khalil Greene (anxiety) will start another rehab stint
Friday at Double-A … Jamie Moyer tossed seven shutout, one-hit innings
Thursday, but his ERA remains ugly at 5.58 … Chris Snyder (back) is
slated to begin a rehab assignment Monday … Chris Dickerson skipped
Thursday’s game because as Dusty Baker put it “he looked like Fred
Sanford walking around here” … Omar Minaya said Thursday that Carlos
Delgado (hip) is not expected back before August while Fernando
Martinez (knee) is likely out until September.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.