Links out of the National League East..
- The Brewers' signing of pitcher Mike Gonzalez will have a direct bearing on whatever kind of deal fellow left-hander J.P. Howell is going to get, whether it's from the Nationals or another club, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Washington has been heavily linked to Howell and are said to have him as their top choice among free agent lefties.
- The Nationals' decision to promote Bryce Harper this season wasn't an easy one, but it was the right call, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats promoted Harper on April 28th, triggering the start of his service clock. However, they waited long enough to postpone his free agency by a full year and will control him through 2018. Harper was just 19-years-old when he got the call and won the NL Rookie of the Year award with a .270/.340/.477 slash line and 22 homers.
- Brian Joura of Mets 360 believes that minor league pickup Greg Burke has a good chance of making the Mets big league roster out of spring training. The Mets still haven't signed a free agent to a major league contract this winter.
