Rockies Claim Adam Ottavino

The Rockies announced that they have claimed right-hander Adam Ottavino off of waivers from the Cardinals (Twitter link). The Rockies optioned their new acquisition to Triple-A.

Ottavino, 26, debuted in the Major Leagues with the 2010 Cardinals but spent all of last season in the minors. He posted a 4.85 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 141 innings as a starter for the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate in 2011. The 2006 first rounder has a 4.29 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in six minor league seasons.

Cardinals Remove Four From 40-Man Roster

The Cardinals have removed Adam Ottavino, Nick Stavinoha, Daryl Jones, and Steve Hill from their 40-man roster according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. All four players will now be exposed in next month's Rule 5 Draft. 

Jones, 23, hit .244/.335/.361 in 518 Double-A plate appearances this year. Ottavino, 25 on Monday, made five appearances with St. Louis this year (three starts), posting a 8.46 ERA with 12 strikeouts and nine walks in 22.1 innings. Hill, 25, received just three plate appearances with the Cardinals this year, hitting a home run for his first career hit. The backstop is a .289/.341/.510 hitter in the minors. They were ranked the 4th, 11th, and 24th best prospects in the team's farm system according to Baseball America's 2010 Prospect Handbook, respectively.

Stavinoha, 28, has received 278 plate appearances with the Cards over the last three seasons, hitting .234/.256/.325 with 54 strikeouts and just seven unintentional walks. He is a .301/.345/.469 hitter in almost 1,400 Triple-A plate appearances and has experience playing both outfield corners as well as first base. 

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Brewers, Willis, Guardado

Links for Sunday....

• The Cardinals are considering Adam Ottavino, their 2006 first-round pick, as an option for the bullpen, writes Derrick Goold. The 24-year-old has improved his delivery and hurled 8.1 innings so far this spring, allowing just one run with five strikeouts, though he also has five walks to go along with them.
• The Brewers will have some decisions to make this week on players such as Jim Edmonds, Matt Treanor, and Scott Schoeneweis, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Each signed a minor league deal with an out clause. McCalvy opines that "it would be a surprise" if Edmonds didn't factor into the Crew's 2010 Major League plans.
• Lynn Henning of the Detroit News thinks that the Tigers will release Dontrelle Willis in the near future.
• Eddie Guardado hasn't officially announced his retirement, but he tells Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas "I think I'm done." Durrett reports that, even if Guardado doesn't pitch again, the lefty would like to stay in baseball in some capacity.
• The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo has a few interesting notes in his latest column. He names Jake Westbrook as an intriguing trade-deadline pitching option, and says that Mark Mulder could still work toward a comeback this season.
• The Rangers may try to trade for a utility infielder, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think it's a foregone conclusion that Adrian Gonzalez will be playing in Fenway Park by August.
• Heath Bell, another Padre who has been the subject of trade rumors, is staying in San Diego for the time being, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The Bell-to-Minnesota rumors have been swirling lately, following the news of Joe Nathan's season-ending injury.
• For the latest updates on Bell, and the rest of the closing situations around baseball, be sure to follow our @closernews account on Twitter.