Trading season is still weeks away, but a flurry of transactions is likely around June 1. A number of veterans on minor-league contracts can ask for their releases if they are not promoted to the majors by that date. They then would become free agents, available to any team.

The players with June 1 opt-outs include:

Alfredo Amezaga, IF/OF, Cubs. Super-utility type who has played six positions at Triple A Iowa, including pitcher. Batting .301 with a .786 OPS.

David Bush, RHP, Phillies. His contract is a little different: The Phillies must promote Bush on June 1 or trade him within 72 hours if another club wants to add him to its 25-man roster. Would Bush qualify for one of the 150 starting jobs in the majors? Well, he’s 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA at Triple A, and has a streak of 16 consecutive scoreless innings.

Jeff Francis, LHP, Reds. Still does not appear to be pitching well enough to hold a spot in a major-league rotation. Francis had a 3.18 ERA in his first three starts at Triple A Louisville, but a 5.02 ERA in his next six.

Chuck James, LHP, Mets. Could surface somewhere; left-handed relievers always are in short supply. In 11 appearances for Triple A Buffalo, James has a 1.93 ERA.

Ross Ohlendorf, RHP, Red Sox. Not exactly pressing the issue: Ohlendorf is 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA in eight starts.

Oliver Perez, LHP, Mariners. Impressive strikeout rate of 13.1 per nine innings as a reliever, but as usual the rest of his game is suspect. Perez also is averaging 6.1 walks per nine, and his WHIP is a whopping 1.887.

Doug Slaten, LHP, Pirates. The Pirates, leading the NL in bullpen ERA, might not need Slaten, but some other team almost certainly would want him. Slaten, the closer at Triple A Indianapolis, has a 0.40 ERA and 0.806 WHIP and has yet to allow an extra-base hit in 22 1/3 innings.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Boston Red Sox, increasing their outfield depth, acquired outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Phillies on Friday night, according to a major-league source.

Podsednik, 36, was at Triple A with the Phillies and will report to Triple A with the Red Sox. He can opt out of his minor-league contract on June 1 if he is not in the majors.

The Red Sox are without injured outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, and on Thursday recalled outfielder Daniel Nava from Triple A.

Podsednik was batting only .203/.289/.216 for the Phillies' Lehigh Valley affiliate.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Nationals and Angels have had preliminary discussions about a trade that would send center fielder Peter Bourjos to Washington, major-league sources told FOXSports.com.

The Royals, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays also have checked on the availability of Bourjos, sources say.

It’s not clear how far the Nationals-Angels talks have advanced, but the fit is evident: The Angels have a surplus of outfielders, and Bourjos’ playing time has fallen considerably since the arrival of prospect Mike Trout. The Nationals could use another outfielder to help them through the sudden (and possibly long-term) absence of Jayson Werth.

Apart from the acute circumstance of Werth’s injury, Washington general manager Mike Rizzo has been trying to acquire a long-term center fielder for months. Bourjos, 25, would match that description.

The Angels, tied for the most bullpen losses in the American League, would prioritize a relief pitcher in any deal for Bourjos. That is problematic for Washington in the near term, with closer Drew Storen and alternate closer Brad Lidge on the disabled list. The Nationals will be more comfortable parting with a reliever once Storen or Lidge is back.

Storen, though, won’t return anytime soon. The Nationals believe July is a best-case scenario for him, after he had surgery to remove a bone chip from his right (pitching) elbow.

The Angels may scan the market for catchers, too, after Thursday’s news that Chris Iannetta will miss six to eight weeks after undergoing right wrist surgery. Iannetta sustained the injury when he was hit by a pitch the night he caught Jered Weaver’s no-hitter.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

If run differential is an indicator of underlying performance, then the Houston Astros qualify as nearly as big a surprise in the National League as the Baltimore Orioles are in the American League.

The Orioles’ plus-34 run differential ranks second in the AL behind the Rangers’ plus-47. The Astros are tied with the Washington Nationals for third in the NL at plus-14, trailing only the St. Louis Cardinals (plus-62) and Atlanta Braves (plus-27).

What does it all mean?

Probably not much, considering that the season is not even 20 percent complete. The Astros are playing hard, and second baseman Jose Altuve, in particular, has been a revelation. But the team still figures to be an active seller at the deadline.

“Our objective is to aggregate as much talent as possible, as quickly as possible,” new general manager Jeff Luhnow told me last week, at the start of what became a 5-1 homestand against the New York Mets and Cardinals.

“If we have pieces on our club that are in demand by other clubs and we get enough future value for them to make up for the short-term loss, we’ll consider every opportunity.”

Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, first baseman Carlos Lee, closer Brett Myers and right-handed setup reliever Brandon Lyon are the pieces most likely to generate discussions.

“I think late this summer there will be demand for some of our players,” Luhnow said. “We’ll have those conversations. But right now, we’re not actively pushing anything.

“Our veteran players are contributing. Wandy is pitching like a No. 1. Myers is pitching like an elite closer. Carlos has played a good first base. Lyon has been solid in the bullpen. We need those guys right now. I’m not in any rush to have any conversations about our veteran players.”

Luhnow was not exaggerating. Rodriguez is 3-2 with a 1.64 ERA. Myers is 7 for 7 in save opportunities with a 1.04 ERA. Lee is batting a relatively modest .289 with a .355 on-base percentage and .392 slugging average, and Lyon has a 2.89 ERA.

Contracts, though, are a problem. The Astros would need to include significant cash in deals to get a quality return.

Rodriguez is guaranteed $10 million this season, $13 million next season and a $2.5 million buyout in his $13 million option for 2014.

Myers is earning $11 million, with a $3 million buyout on his $10 million option. Lee is making $18.5 million and can block trades to 14 clubs. Lyon is earning $5.5 million.

— Ken Rosenthal

Albert Pujols is human, after all.

His first 11 years in the big leagues, Pujols created a feeling of awe with how much he could domiante the game offensively.

Having left St. Louis to sign a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last winter, Pujols has fallen into the first prolonged slump of his career.

Pujols went into Sunday hitting .194 with five RBI and in search of his first home run. He had 108 at-bats with the Angels. This is a guy who in the previous 11 seasons never drove in fewer than 99 runs nor hit fewer than 34 home runs in a season.

``At some point in everyone's career, he is going to struggle,'' said Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones. ``Albert made the game look easy for a long time, but no matter how good you are you are going to have a struggle at some point.

``I don't share everyone's concer about the slump. He's going to come out of it. I'm must glad we don't play (the Angels). He is experience what mere mortal experience all the time.''

The Texas Rangers entered Tuesday’s game in Toronto with the second-most runs in the major leagues. But there was extra offensive firepower on hand at Rogers Centre: Rick Nash, perennial 30-goal scorer for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, attended the game as a guest of Rangers left-hander Derek Holland.

Holland grew up outside Columbus and is a huge hockey fan. He stopped by the Blue Jackets’ dressing room following a game several years ago, and he and Nash have kept in touch ever since. Nash grew up in Ontario as a Blue Jays fan but now supports the Rangers, as well.

Nash and several friends were invited to stand behind the batting cage while the Rangers took B.P. “I played a little (baseball) growing up, but never enough,” Nash said. “I always enjoyed watching the Jays. … I didn’t really follow too much baseball other than the Blue Jays, but now if the (Texas) game is on, I’ll watch it. I’m checking the scores all the time. It makes it fun. It’s a good relationship.”

Nash was eight years old when the Jays won the first of their back-to-back world titles in 1992. John Olerud was his favorite player. He still remembers watching Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in 1993 at a family friend’s house.

Nash, 27, said he still watches a handful of baseball games each year – in Cincinnati or Cleveland during the hockey season and in Toronto while he’s home in Ontario for the summer.

Holland skates frequently as part of his offseason conditioning. When asked if Holland might be good enough to switch sports, Nash laughed and said, “I wouldn’t give up this career. I think he’s a little too good at this one. But he’s texted me during our season, telling me he’s playing. I haven’t seen him play yet, but he knows his hockey. When you talk hockey with him, he knows what he’s talking about.”

Nash, who won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, opted to sit out the upcoming IIHF World Championships after playing all 82 games for the first time in his career. “I love playing in the Worlds, but I’ve got some nagging things going on and needed a break,” he said. “Playing all 82 really takes a lot.”

Nash is entering an uncertain offseason, after the Blue Jackets nearly moved him at the trade deadline. He could be traded this summer, after spending his entire career with the franchise that made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft.

“No idea,” Nash said, when asked what might lie ahead. “No idea. Wait and see. Right now, it’s great. I don’t have to worry about it. Just enjoy this time with my friends.

“I worried about it during the season, but now I’ve cleared my mind of it. Honestly, right now I’m looking forward to watching this game. I’m worried about what I’m going to have for dinner. All of that will take care of itself.”

Of course, he might run into some Toronto fans who ask him to come home and play for the Maple Leafs.

“You never know,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Super-utility man Bill Hall, who excelled with the Red Sox in 2010 before struggling with the Astros and Giants last season, would like to correct a misconception.

Hall, a 10-year veteran, says teams assume that he will not play at Triple A because he elected free agency after failing to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster.

But, as Hall puts it, “That’s not the case.”

Hall, 32, says he was reluctant to go to Triple A only with the Yankees, whose Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate will lead a nomadic existence their season while their ballpark in Moosic, Pa., is under renovation.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will play home games in six different cities – Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Batavia, N.Y., plus Allentown, Pa., and Pawtucket, R.I.

“They are basically playing the whole season on the road,” Hall says. “My wife and I decided that I couldn’t live in a hotel all year. My daughter just turned 1 and I couldn’t do that to her.

“I don’t have any problem playing in Triple A. I just want to play. I’m not looking for any guarantees of a possibility of going to the big leagues. I was just looking for a better situation for my family.

“I’m ready to play now. I’m still working out hard and hitting and in shape. I can leave at the drop of a hat anytime, to anywhere.”

-Ken Rosenthal

The Los Angeles Angels have addressed numerous contract issues since the end of last season. But they haven’t forgotten shortstop Erick Aybar.

General manager Jerry Dipoto said Friday that the team is “making progress” on an extension for Aybar, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

“I’m very confident that we’ll be able to get something done,” Dipoto said. “Erick wants to be here. It’s just a matter of winding up a deal that works for both sides.

“(The negotiations) have been going on since December. It’s never been contentious. It’s always been an open discussion. It’s ongoing.”

The Angels signed Aybar’s double-play partner, Howie Kendrick, to a four-year, $33.5 million extension in January, buying out three of Kendrick’s free-agent years.

Aybar, 28, would be the best shortstop on the open market next offseason. The Angels lack a major league-ready replacement at the position.

“Over the course of the winter we’ve had a lot of additions, quite a few things on the docket,” Dipoto said. “Not to say that Erick was item of importance No. 6. But he understood there was a lot going on. He’s been great about it.”

-Ken Rosenthal

He was given the name Wilbur H. Johnson at birth, but he was known throughout the baseball world as Moose.

The man who gave 55 years of his life to baseball passed away on Monday night. Having been placed in a Hospice near his home in Arvada, Co., a week earlier, Johnson died of heart failure.

Born in Lead, S.D., Johnson graduated from High School in Butte, Mont., and attended Gonzaga University. He began his professional baseball career in 1951, spending his time in various minor league cities, and then began to make his mark in 1961 when he first served six years as a minor-league manager, and then 41 years as a scout with Philadelphia, Toronto and San Diego.

As an area scout with the Phillies in 1973, he was instrumental in the first-round selection of catcher John Stearns. As a crosschecker with the Phillies he worked with area scout Bill Harper to get Phillies to select Ryne Sandberg, one of the nation's top quarterbakc prospects, in the 20th round in 1978.

With Toronto, he teammed up with Colorado area scout Bus Campbell, one of his closest friends, to convince the Blue Jays to use the 17th selection in the first round of the 1995 draft.

``Bus tipped me off on Halladay,'' Johnson later explained. ``A lot of people were sure on him. ... But and I had a lot of faith in him.''

But then over the years, the organziations Johnson worked for had a lot of faith in him, too.

The Texas Rangers are discussing a six-year contract with second baseman Ian Kinsler that would begin in 2013, according to major-league sources.

The holdup?

Indirectly, it might be Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano.

Kinsler and the Rangers, trying to complete a deal by the team’s opener on Friday, have been unable to reach agreement on the financial terms of the new contract.

The Rangers, sources say, are willing to give Kinsler a salary higher than Dan Uggla’s record average for a second baseman, $12.4 million. But the team probably does not want to go far above that figure, which is where Cano enters the equation.

The Yankees exercised Cano’s $14 million option for this season and hold a $15 million option on him for 2013. His next deal, whether achieved in an extension or through free agency, figures to be at a much higher number.

Kinsler, who turns 30 on June 22, is signed for $7 million this season with a $10 million club option for 2013; the option would be eliminated in the first year of his new deal.

He might not be at Cano’s level. But, judging from their respective career marks in OPS-plus, he’s not far off.

OPS-plus is a player’s combined on-base/slugging percentage adjusted to his ballpark and league. Cano’s career mark is 119. Kinsler’s is 114. And Kinsler has been even more productive than Cano in the post-season.

So, let’s say Cano’s next deal is for $18 million per season – and that might be conservative, given the recent eruption in the market.

Kinsler, then, might be shortchanging himself if he accepted, say, $14 million per season. His goal might be more in the $16 million range.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told reporters Tuesday that he does not expect to complete any contract extensions before Opening Day. But he also did not rule out the possibility of a last-minute deal with Kinsler or any of the Rangers’ potential free agents, including catcher Mike Napoli and center fielder Josh Hamilton.

-Ken Rosenthal