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Odds & Ends: Martinez, Rangers, Strasburg, Zambrano

Links for Wednesday...

• Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal thinks that Victor Martinez's inability to contain baserunners could cost him millions in free agency and compromise his long-term future with the Red Sox.
• Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Tom Hicks is "concerned" about the sale of the Rangers to new ownership. Hicks' comments prompted MLB to release a statement in which they say the league has taken control of the Rangers' sale.
• Despite Stephen Strasburg's hot start, Mike Rizzo has no plans to rush his prized prospect through the minors, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington. Rizzo says that when Strasburg arrives in Washington, the club wants it to be for good.
• Ever seen a $17.875MM reliever?  Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs are moving Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen on Friday.  Carlos Silva will remain in the rotation; Tyler Kepner of the New York Times recently looked at his potential resurgence. 
• In a pair of February articles, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune noted that Mark Buehrle's 10-and-5 rights kick in on July 6th, while A.J. Pierzynski's date is June 14th.
• Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times posits that if the Mariners hadn't traded Adam Jones, they wouldn't have Jack Zduriencik and Franklin Gutierrez.
• Though he'll continue to work for ESPN, Joe Morgan has joined the Reds as a "special advisor to baseball operations."  Morgan will not be involved in the team's day-to-day operations, learned John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. 
• ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the Diamondbacks looked into a trade for Nate Robertson before the southpaw was dealt to Florida.  Crasnick's article deals with the performances of nine important fill-ins so far this season.
• FanGraphs has added an aspect of catcher defense to its Wins Above Replacement stat.
• Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports talks about the plight of Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley.  I imagine quite a few teams would like to try to get him back on track.
• Kevin Millar, released by the Cubs in March, has joined the MLB Network as an analyst according to Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball.

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