Links for Saturday evening..
- New to Arizona, J.J. Putz tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he's a perfect fit for the Diamondbacks.
- Second baseman Josh Barfield is competing for a utility spot on the Phillies but isn't concerned with talk of Luis Castillo, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
- Brian MacPherson and Tim Britton of The Providence Journal wonder how much longer Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek will continue to play. Varitek could be asked to backup Jarrod Saltalamacchia in 2011 but could still be given plenty of playing time in a platoon. McPherson set the over/under at 2.5 years but Britton takes the under, pointing out that the list of catchers who have played the most games is chock full of players who retired before reaching 40-years-old. The team captain will celebrate his 39th birthday in less than a month.
- Pirates left-hander Joe Beimel was scratched again due to elbow pain today, which seems to contradict what GM Neal Huntington said yesterday after picking up Garrett Olson off of waivers, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Huntington insisted yesterday that the addition of Olson was not motivated by concern about Beimel or Scott Olsen.
- Pittsburgh right-hander Kevin Hart was on the bubble for a roster spot with the club and out of options for 2011, but the club will now have more time to consider him after a shoulder injury sent him to the 60-day DL, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs rallies against the tyranny of the corner label.
- Red Sox veteran David Ortiz told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that the pressure isn't off, even with the new additions.
- ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider req'd) hears from a talent evaluator that the best way for Kevin Millwood to get back to the big leagues is by signing with a team and pitching in games. "That's no way to win a job — sitting at home," said the source. Millwood's fastball was clocked at 85 mph during a recent workout.
- The Rangers ackowledge that Chris Davis has opened some eyes with his strong Spring Training, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. He's under consideration for a roster spot, though teams have inquired about his availability.
- Now without star second baseman Dan Uggla, the Marlins are once again in a transitional phase, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
- While he really enjoyed his time in Houston, Lance Berkman is happy to be with the Cardinals, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
So the best way to get a job is by getting a job in that line of work and doing what you’re supposed to do? Why didn’t anybody tell Millwood this before?
He’s being advised by Jermaine Dye.
I understand the snark, but I also understand why players are fickle about signing major league deals, especially veterans past their peak like Millwood. They really don’t need the trouble of working through the minors because they’ve already made their fortune. This is why a lot of them would rather just retire than play in the minors again. Why deal with the long bus trips and years away from their families if they are only going to receive a small amount compared to what they made in their careers overall?
Is it possible that the Marlins defense got even worse AFTER trading Uggla and acquiring a defensive upgrade in return? That would be pretty hilarious….
Coghlan can’t possibly stick in CF. Morrison is said to be below-average in LF. Hanley seems to be getting worse with the glove every year. Dominguez is a rookie, but is said to be brilliant defensively. His bat clearly isn’t ready though.
Anyway, look for Loria to fire coaches left and right if they’re hovering around .500 at the break. Guy places unreasonable expectations on his club every single year and gives them a short leash. “Start playing over your heads or else!” What a joke…
after all loria owns the eagles as well
I think you’re confusing Jeff Laurie with Jeff Loira.
kinda of a poor attempt at humor ill take a bump bump bumpaaaa for that
Sheesh Papi. Take it easy man. It’s not like your contract ends this year or anything. Oh wait …
Before that Gordon Edes interview with Big Papi, I never realized how [Expletive] articulate Ortiz is.
Very, very, timely article here. Most readers were wondering whether Ortiz would think the pressure is now off. While some people may think this is not news, but simply an excuse to put up a Red Sox post, people in the know see this as another timely piece by MLBTR.
Reporters don’t have to flag down Big Papi. He flags down them. And then gives them random pieces of information that don’t deal with the thing at hand. He should be worried about not hitting .102 with 1 homerun (if he’s lucky) for the first two months of the season.
Wasn’t Ortiz the most productive DH in the league last year? I vaguely remember him having an OPS around .900 and 30+ HR at some point.
Which is why I said first two months and not the entire year.
Meh, does it really matter all that much? He’s producing at a high level. Teixeira rarely gets trashed for his slow starts.
Plus, last year Ortiz had just 15 games at the start of the year where he wasn’t producing. He didn’t post an OPS below .848 in any month aside from April.
Luckily for Ortiz he’ll be batting lower in the lineup so the pressure is off in a sense.