West Notes: CarGo, Skaggs, Pujols, Doolittle, Casilla

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post breaks down where things stand between the Rockies and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez in response to a fan inquiry. Noting that the sides haven’t engaged in further talks about an extension, Saunders says that he’s “not sure if the Rockies are willing to compete with top dollars [from free agency next winter] to extend him.” If no new deal is in the offing, the club will presumably wait to see how the season plays out to determine its next steps; Gonzalez could be dangled at the deadline or potentially receive a qualifying offer at year end.

Here are a few more notes from out west:

• Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs will have his next outing delayed after experiencing “a little weakness in [his] shoulder,” Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The young southpaw turned in a shaky performance in his first start of the spring; today’s news, perhaps, offers either an explanation or renewed cause for some concern. While it’s too early to know whether this is anything more than a blip, Skaggs’s injury history suggests it’s worth keeping an eye on. He showed plenty of promise upon his return to competitive pitching last year, but his ability to stay healthy and continue developing remains of critical importance to the Halos in 2017.
• The Angels will welcome back first baseman/DH Albert Pujols soon, however, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. After running the bases over the next two days, the veteran slugger is expected to appear for the first time this spring on Friday. That suggests it’s plenty possible that Pujols will be ready to go in time for Opening Day, though he’ll obviously need to maintain the health of his surgically repaired plantar fascia over the next few weeks.
• Two notable members of the Athletics pen are moving toward game readiness, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. Southpaw Sean Doolittle and righty Santiago Casilla are throwing live BP sessions today and tomorrow, respectively, setting them up to appear in Cactus League action sooner rather than later. Doolittle and Casilla currently project to function as the club’s top two setup men, though either could also conceivably wrestle closing opportunities away from Ryan Madson.