Links for Sunday….
- More from Rosenthal, as he tweets that the Padres are not looking to move Tim Stauffer despite there being several teams interested in the pitcher. Stauffer has been rumored to be on the trade block as he is out of options.
- FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter) that the Twins will use a closer-by-committee approach to start the season, which presumably means no trades are imminent.
- Dave Dombrowski denies that the Tigers are looking for a second base upgrade, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark had reported that Detroit could be in the market for a second baseman, given Scott Sizemore's up-and-down spring, but Dombrowski says the club's lineup is set. The GM also mentions that "a lot of clubs have been calling" about the Tigers' pitching.
- Ian Desmond has been named the Nationals' starting shortstop, according to the team's Twitter page. The rookie beat out Cristian Guzman, who will now earn $8MM this season as a utilityman. Guzman, for his part, will not ask for a trade, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Rockies had interest in Chad Gaudin last year, but don't think they have a spot for him anymore, tweets Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
- Mike Lowell is maintaining a realistic outlook on his current situation, writes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston. Edes adds in a tweet that Lowell took grounders at third base this morning, a good sign for the health of his knee.
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post explains the decision facing the Nationals regarding Scott Olsen. The Nats are evaluating whether or not Olsen belongs in their rotation, and will owe him his full 2010 base salary ($1MM) if he's with the team past March 31.
I’m definitely for the in-house options. Gardy said four guys: Rauch, Mijares, Crain and Guerrier. I’m hoping it will be mostly Guerrier locking it down. Crain scares me and Mijares does at times too. Mijares has the stuff, but he’s up and down a lot.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say Pat Neshek ends up the Twins’ closer by the end of the year. OBVIOUSLY, there are significant health issues. But guys coming back after extended layoffs and performing again is more and more common all the time. And health issues aside, Neshek has never had problems getting the ball over the plate or striking guys out. Give it a month and see if he makes it back. If he does, I really like him for the gig.
I see Neshek as the Twin’s closer as well. Moving Guerrier out of the setup role and into the closer’s positon is a mistake. It just stirs the pot even more. I vote for: keep Guerrier in the setup role and groom Neshek to be the closer. If he has trouble keeping up the innings, let Rauch and Slama split time as the closer until Pat is ready.
Ian Desmond should really help the Nats out. He doesn’t have the best glove but has a much more accurate throw then the Guz.
Why would the Padres want to move Tim Stauffer? Shouldn’t they just use him themselves? At least for awhile? That rumor made no sense to me. I’m not surprised it’s not true. Having said that, he’s probably already been traded.
Stauffer is out of options and has not pitched as well this spring as the other 3 guys competing for the Padres 5th Starter spot (Latos, LeBlanc and Gallagher, who is alos out of options).