Here's a few quick thoughts on a Friday morning:
Bill Plunkett from the Orange County Register reported last night that Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales is looking good in offseason batting practice. Here are quotes from teammate Peter Bourjos;
"I've been hitting with him every day (at the Angels' minor-league complex in Tempe, Ariz.) and he looks strong," Angels centerfielder Peter Bourjos said Wednesday. "Monday was the first time he took live BP (with a coach throwing) and he was popping them out from both sides. It is very impressive."
If Morales is healthy, he will add to the already deep first base position heading into 2012.
Yesterday, we also learned that the Dodgers did make an offer to Prince Fielder before he signed with the Tigers. The Dodgers, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, make a 7 year, $160+ million offer for Fielder which included an opt-out clause after 4 years, but apparently that was not enough for Scott Boras....err....I mean Fielder.
That news made me wonder if the Dodgers would have won the bidding for Fielder had Tigers DH Victor Martinez not tore up his knee last week. I imagine Boras took the Dodgers offer to Tigers owner Mike Ilitch to see if he would top the Dodgers offer.
More after the jump:
It has finally happened. Cuban outfield prospect Yoennis Cespedes has finally obtained residence in the Dominican Republic and is a free agent in MLB. He has garnered interest from the Marlins, Cubs and Nationals, among other teams. He will probably end up signing a bigger contract than Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman signed a few years ago.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge hinted yesterday that outfielder Ichiro Suzuki may not bat leadoff this season. Suzuki had a down year in 2011, so this is not a huge surprise. This leads me to wonder if second baseman Dustin Ackley will move to the leadoff spot as a result. This could result in more stolen base attempts from Ackley, so this bares watching heading into spring training.
With Prince Fielder signing with the Tigers, first baseman Miguel Cabrera will be moving to third base this season. Manager Jim Leyland confirmed it yesterday afternoon. This is certainly huge for Cabrera owners, as he will earn third base eligibility before the end of April. I head on SiriusXM radio last night that Cabrera has already lost a lot of weight this offseason.
Looking for a sleeper in 2012? Check out what Jim Margalus has to say about a certain White Sox player over at Sout Side Sox, SB Nation's Chicago White Sox site.