Here's the latest from the NL Central…
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty is "not even considering" signing Roy Oswalt, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Jocketty also said he is planning to talk with Brandon Phillips' agents about a contract extension for the second baseman at some point during the spring.
- Zack Greinke said "nothing's changed" about his extension talks with the Brewers and didn't want to talk about the subject to reporters today (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Greinke also added that he has no immediate plans to hire an agent.
- The Brewers should wait before giving Shaun Marcum a contract extension, or perhaps they should let Marcum hit free agency next winter altogether, writes Eric Seidman for Fangraphs. "All of [the Brewers] rotation efforts this year should be focused on keeping Greinke, the better and younger pitcher who is more likely to remain among the elite throughout the life of the deal," Seidman writes. Marcum recently said that he'd love to remain in Milwaukee, though the Brewers haven't yet approached him about a long-term deal.
- Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer told Bryan LaHair that the Cubs had no interest in Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder, LaHair tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. As such, LaHair was able to ignore the rumors and focus on preparing for his first starting job in the big leagues. Over at Roto Authority, I recently looked at the fantasy potential of LaHair and the newly-acquired Anthony Rizzo.
Theo pushes his hands in his pockets and kicks some rocks. “Fine I didn’t really want Albert or Prince anyway. They would have made the team yucky…”
I think the media is about to stir up some anxiety in Greinke…