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Rosenthal On Braves, Blue Jays, Nationals, Gonzalez

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Rival executives believe Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez may already be on ‘probation,’ Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Last year’s team lost its grip on a playoff spot down the stretch under Gonzalez, who’s now entering his second season as Atlanta’s manager. Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s notes from around the Major Leagues…

  • Special assistant Jim Fregosi may be the Braves’ leading candidate to manage should they replace Gonzalez internally.
  • The Diamondbacks would have interest in catcher J.P. Arencibia if the Blue Jays made him available. Arencibia isn’t going anywhere just yet, but top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud could force the Blue Jays to make some difficult decisions within the year.
  • The Blue Jays, Royals, Tigers and others are in the market for starting pitching and many options are available, Rosenthal writes. Joe Blanton, Gavin Floyd and John Lannan are among the potential trade targets for teams seeking starters.
  • The Tigers, who are currently leaning toward left-hander Andy Oliver for their final rotation spot, could be a fit for Lannan. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined possible fits for Lannan last week, including the Tigers.
  • The Padres’ financial outlook is improving, so owner John Moores may be less eager to sell the team to CEO Jeff Moorad. Moorad has two years to complete his purchase of the club, but the deal won’t be finalized in the near future.
  • The A’s are no longer interested in free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez and the White Sox aren’t currently pursuing him, Rosenthal reports. The lefty is “about ready to go” following arthroscopic knee surgery.
  • Some in the industry question shortstop Ian Desmond, but the Nationals like him.

Tigers Release David Pauley

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The Tigers released right-hander David Pauley, the team announced. The 28-year-old Octagon client is now a free agent. The Tigers placed Victor Martinez on the 60-day disabled list in a related move.

The Tigers acquired Pauley from the Mariners in the trade that sent Doug Fister to Detroit. He posted a 3.16 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 74 innings across 53 relief outings for the Mariners and Tigers in 2011. Pauley is not yet arbitration eligible. Jason Beck of MLB.com first reported the transaction.

AL Central Notes: Hafner, Verlander, Cabrera

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Every AL Central team except the Royals has won the division at least once since 2007. Here are the latest AL Central links as the Tigers look to win back-to-back division titles for the first time since they won the 1934-35 pennants…

  • The Indians are hoping for modest production from Travis Hafner in 2012, which will probably be his final season with the Indians, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. "If Travis can be a productive major-league hitter this year, we'll be happy," GM Chris Antonetti said.
  • Justin Verlander and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports discussed the right-hander's newfound celebrity in a piece that's well worth reading. Verlander makes it clear that he loves Detroit, but admitted he’s thought about what playing in a bigger market would be like. “It would be fun, but hopefully I help turn Detroit into a major market,” Verlander said. “Other teams are major markets not just because of their fan base but because of the national fan base.”
  • No talks about a new contract for Verlander have taken place, but he’s “open for conversation” with the Tigers. Verlander, who’s under team control through 2014, is intrigued by free agency.
  • In this FOX Sports video, Morosi said the Tigers are realistic about Miguel Cabrera's limitations as a defender at third base, and seem committed to making the arrangement work.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland recently joined Evan & Phillips on Sirius XM Radio and said he's willing to accept that Cabrera won't get to as many balls as Brandon Inge might.

Dombrowski Talks Rotation, Inge

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The Tigers don’t have an established fifth starter, so there’s been some speculation about their interest in potentially available pitchers around the league. However, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski joined MLB Network Radio and said he’s pleased with the ability of the team’s internal candidates.

“You’re always looking to upgrade, but I think for us we’re really looking for one of these youngsters to grab that fifth spot,” he said. 

Right-hander Jacob Turner and left-handers Duane Below, Adam Wilk and Andy Oliver are currently competing to start behind Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello. Tigers assistant GM Al Avila acknowledged last week that the Tigers will watch other teams' pitchers in case a fit emerges.

Dombrowski said Brandon Inge seems like a natural at second base, where he is in the mix for playing time along with Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago. The GM said Inge’s athleticism makes it seem like he’s been playing his new position for a decade.

Quick Hits: Fielder, Mets, Harper

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It's only Spring Training, but Jerry Dipoto's new additions looked good in the Angels’ exhibition contest today, as Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times explains. Albert Pujols collected two hits, C.J. Wilson and Brad Mills each pitched two scoreless innings and Chris Iannetta homered. Here are today's links… 

  • Prince Fielder told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that joining the Tigers was 'a dream come true' that he didn't even dream about. GM Dave Dombrowski says owner Mike Ilitch's aggressiveness made the $214MM Fielder deal possible. "He is in a situation where he wants to win,'' Dombrowski said. 
  • Mets owner Fred Wilpon will have to pay as much as $83.3MM, a court ruled today, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Irving Picard seeks to recover that sum for losers in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. All but $1.7MM of that amount is associated with Wilpon's other businesses and charities, so in theory the Mets won't be affected substantially. 
  • Agent Scott Boras suggested the Mets would be better off if their current owners are replaced, Vincent M. Mallozzi of the New York Times writes. "There has to be an equation where there are requirements for ownership to perform at certain levels, and if they don’t, they would lose their right to own a club and be replaced," Boras said.
  • Bryce Harper still has his doubters, but he's clear about his goals for the 2012 season, as Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes. The outfield prospect wants to push his way onto the Nationals’ roster by performing well this Spring Training. Once he gets there, he's "poised to take the mantel from [Alex Rodriguez] as the ballplayer simultaneously most respected and loathed," Passan writes.

Tigers Notes: Pitching, Contract Renewals

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Prince Fielder is already loving things with the Tigers, which bodes well for the club's status as World Series contenders.  Here's the latest out of the Motor City…

  • The Tigers have talked to some baseball people who are "convinced" Detroit will trade for another starting pitcher by Opening Day, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (Twitter link).  We heard last week that the Tigers were keeping an eye out for potential fifth starter candidates, though the club was also comfortable in using one of their current pitchers at the end of the rotation.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland reiterated his support of his in-house pitching possibilities, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck.  "If we go outside [the organization], it's going to have to be [for] somebody better than what we have here," Leyland said.  "We truly believe that we've got the guy," Leyland said. "Who it is, I don't know."  Jacob Turner, Duane Below, Adam Wilk and Andy Oliver are among Detroit's internal candidates.
  • From that same item, the Tigers announced they have renewed the contracts of Alex Avila, Doug Fister and Austin Jackson for the 2012 season.  All three players will be eligible for arbitration for the first time next winter, and you'd think at least Avila and Fister will be extension candidates if they repeat their 2011 performances.  Detroit now has its entire 40-man roster under contract for 2012.

Tigers Haven’t Ruled Out Trading For Pitcher

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The Tigers have a strong rotation, with Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, and Rick Porcello behind reigning AL Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander. The club does have some concerns about the fifth spot though, and assistant GM Al Avila told James Schmehl of MLive.com that they'll remain on the lookout for pitching help during Spring Training.

“We’ll be looking at other pitchers in other camps throughout spring training to see if there’s anything that makes sense for us,” said Avila.

Avila did emphasize that the Tigers are comfortable with their in-house fifth starter candidates, namely Andy Oliver, Jacob Turner, Duane Below, and Adam Wilk. There aren't many clubs with starting pitching to spare, but John Lannan is said to be on the market and would make sense as a left-handed complement to Detroit's four right-handers. That's just my speculation, however.

AL Central Links: Castellanos, Royals, Sabathia

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Here's a round-up of news from the AL Central…

  • With Miguel Cabrera taking over at the hot corner for the Tigers, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press looks at how the switch affects the progress of third baseman Nick Castellanos, one of the team's top prospects.  I can't see this being a major long-term issue — Castellanos is just 19 and I can't see Cabrera staying on third for very long, given his defensive limitations.  If anything, Victor Martinez could be the odd man out, with Prince Fielder locked in at first and Cabrera probably requiring a move to DH sooner rather than later. 
  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star covered a number of Royals topics as part of a live chat with fans earlier today.
  • The players the Indians acquired for C.C. Sabathia in 2008 have produced -0.6 WAR in the three-plus seasons since the trade, writes Fangraphs' J.P. Breen.  "The Indians still have nine years of control between [Matt] LaPorta and [Michael] Brantley, but neither appear destined for full-time roles at the big league level," Breen writes.
  • Twins starter Francisco Liriano has worked on his mechanics and better locating his fastball this winter in preparation for what could be a make-or-break season for the southpaw, reports Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities Radio.
  • Dick Allen's arrival in 1972 didn't just make the White Sox better on the field, but his presence might have also helped keep the team in Chicago, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

Quick Hits: Uehara, Burnett, Diamondbacks, Tigers

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Friday Night Links..

  • While one source told Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram that a trade of Koji Uehara could free up enough money for the Rangers to sign free agent Roy Oswalt, another source said that any money saved would be pocketed rather than be used on Oswalt or Mike Gonzalez.
  • The other team involved in the A.J. Burnett talks was the Phillies, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. However, the club would've had to clear Joe Blanton's to make the deal work.
  • The Diamondbacks will be on the lookout for catching depth through Spring Training, Olney tweets.
  • In his blog for the Detroit Free Press, Jamie Samuelsen writes that the Tigers should stay in-house when it comes to their fifth starter position rather than scour the open market for an affordable arm.  The highly-touted Jacob Turner is among the candidates for the backend of the rotation.

AL Central Notes: Inge, Royals, Hernandez, Twins

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Happy birthday to former White Sox farmhand Michael Jordan, who turns 49 years old today.  Jordan played one season of Double-A ball with the Birmingham Barons in 1994, hitting .202/.289/.266 in 497 plate appearances.  On the strength of those numbers, Jordan was named ESPN's greatest athlete of the 20th century.  In hindsight, it's possible ESPN may have also taken Jordan's basketball career into consideration, but you'd have to take that argument up with the gang at MLBTR's new sister site Hoops Rumors. 

Here's the latest from around the AL Central…

  • Brandon Inge will be given a chance at the Tigers' second base job during Spring Training, manager Jim Leyland told reporters (including John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press).  Inge joins Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago in battling for playing time at second.  With Miguel Cabrera now playing third, Inge finds himself without a position.  Inge has been a strong defensive third baseman throughout his career (a +5.6 UZR/150) but he has never played second during his 14-year professional career.
  • Rany Jazayerli thinks the Royals should have acquired at least one more proven starting pitcher this offseason, arguing that such a move could have possibly given Kansas City a shot at the division title.
  • Roberto Hernandez (a.k.a. Fausto Carmona) is visiting baseball camps in the Dominican Republic to teach young players not to lie about their identity or true age, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Jorge Brito, Hernandez's agent, didn't say whether these visits were necessary for Hernandez to regain his ability to leave the Dominican and rejoin the Indians.
  • MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger gives his thoughts about what the Twins' Opening Day roster could look like.
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