I just took a quick read of Buster Olney's Saturday morning blog post and have a few roster/injury updates:
The Rockies will place starting pitcher Jeff Francis on the 15 day DL. He hasn't pitched that well this spring, but he could be a late round pick in NL-only leagues who could provide value down the road.
And one scout's view of the Rays bullpen situation with JP Howell injured:
"It wouldn't surprise me if they moved David Price into the bullpen later in the year and called up [Jeremy] Hellickson," said one evaluator. "Price could give them a lot of what Howell gave them out of the bullpen, and Hellickson has a chance to be pretty good."
Marlins outfield prospect Scott Cousins could be their right-fielder to start the season should Cody Ross land on the DL.
The Twins names Jon Rauch as their opening day closer. I don't see him keeping the job.
As I have written here a few times, the Padres will be looking to steal more bags in 2010.The North County Times agrees:
In Tony Gwynn Jr. and Everth Cabrera, the Padres believe that they have a pair of dynamic players. Will Venable can also run well, and Kyle Blanks has good speed for a 6-foot-6, 270-pound man."It's not all about stolen bases," Black said. "It's about good, hard turns at first base after a base hit. It's about good secondary leads. It's about looking to take the extra base.
"We want to create a disturbance in the opponent's mind. We want to challenge outfielders to make plays. We'll get thrown out, but the defense will make mistakes, too. It's easy to play against teams that don't do anything.
The Cubs may not wait long to bench underperforming players like Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto and Kosuku Fukudome according to Gordon Wittmeyer at the Chicago Sun Times:
They seem to have the bench and just enough potential depth at Class AAA Iowa to keep some fires lit under the backsides of a few guys with more than a little to prove in 2010 -- even those with a lot more than a little guaranteed money left on their contracts.
More than just the usual minor moves every team goes through early in the season because of injuries or poor starts by young guys, keep an eye on potential bigger moves as the first month or so of the season plays out.
The handwriting already is on the wall.
They seem to have the bench and just enough potential depth at Class AAA Iowa to keep some fires lit under the backsides of a few guys with more than a little to prove in 2010 -- even those with a lot more than a little guaranteed money left on their contracts.
Piniella has Hendry's unqualified blessing to distribute playing time this season without regard for contract length or salaries. Just win, baby.
For starters, that puts Kosuke Fukudome on notice in right field. The Japanese MVP has been a .258-hitting bust in two seasons in the United States since signing a four-year, $48 million deal.
He's not the only one who needs to perform well -- and early -- to keep the heat off.
Catcher Geovany Soto looks Slim-Fast serious about returning to Rookie of the Year form after a terrible sophomore season, but he won't get an especially long leash coming off a .218 season and a lukewarm spring at the plate.
To be sure, the Cubs culture has changed on Piniella's watch as significantly as the payroll and expectations have risen. With the options he appears to have in Colvin, Chad Tracy and Xavier Nady, what looked at times in '09 like a culture of job entitlement might be about to change, too.
Sorry for the length of the quote, but I thought they were important to read. We could see wholesale changes in the Cubs lineup come 2011. Hello Starlin Castro.