[BigSpoon]

agreed..why was Hosmer starting?

Yeah, Hosmer really overrated and Goldie underrated as 1B.

[koz-man]

Allen Craig (making $11 million this season) and Rusney Castillo ($10.5 million) among seven players shipped back to minors by Red Sox.

[Cross]

Goldie is a stud, tough to underrate him.

[EmpireMaker]

Mets right-hander Matt Harvey continued to allay concerns regarding his early spring velocity dip on Sunday. For the second straight outing, Harvey’s fastball sat in the 92 to 94 mph range and topped out at 97 mph, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. “I couldn’t be happier than where I am now and ready to start the season,” Harvey said after throwing six innings against the Braves and allowing two runs on five hits (via MetsBlog). Harvey’s progress is obviously a positive development for the Mets, who found out Sunday that they could begin the season without the injured Steven Matz. If they do, either Seth Lugo or Zack Wheeler will open the year as their fifth starter. The club has already decided that Robert Gsellman will get a rotation spot, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).
More from the National League:

• Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco will likely begin the season on the disabled list as he works his way back from the left shoulder and right hip surgeries he underwent last year, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Consequently, the team is “leaning toward” retaining fellow backstop Stuart Turner, whom it took from the Twins in the Rule 5 draft, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Turner would join Tucker Barnhart to comprise the Reds’ top two catchers, and they’d try to pass the out-of-options Rob Brantly through waivers.
• Despite his $20MM salary, Giants righty Matt Cain isn’t a shoo-in to win the last spot in their rotation, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The 30-year-old combined for a 5.70 ERA over 150 innings in the previous two seasons, and he has pitched to an even uglier 8.10 ERA in 20 spring frames. Southpaw Ty Blach will take the role if Cain doesn’t. Blach, 26, debuted in the majors last season and gave up a mere two earned runs on eight hits in 17 innings.
• Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez, who has been dealing with a right hand contusion this spring, will probably start the season on the disabled list, tweets Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Baez is the Dodgers’ top righty setup man, having tossed a career-high 74 innings and logged a 3.04 ERA and 10.09 K/9 against 2.68 BB/9 last season. Sergio Romo figures to serve as the main right-handed bridge to closer Kenley Jansen until Baez returns.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Allen Craig (making $11 million this season) and Rusney Castillo ($10.5 million) among seven players shipped back to minors by Red Sox.

Craig really had a fall from grace...what the heck happened to him?

[Chi_archie]

Allen Craig (making $11 million this season) and Rusney Castillo ($10.5 million) among seven players shipped back to minors by Red Sox.

dang Bosox

[Cross]

Giants staff always so strong.

[El Nino]

agreed..why was Hosmer starting?

Leyland went with the hotter bat I guess...although he kept throwing Arenado out there even after his golden sombrero game.

[BigSpoon]

Leyland went with the hotter bat I guess...although he kept throwing Arenado out there even after his golden sombrero game.

Yeah, but who were the backup 3B though? Bregman or Harrison? Had to stick with Arenado for his stellar fielding regardless.

[koz-man]

Angel Pagan is expected to make a decision in the next 48 hours on where he is going to sign with Toronto, SF, Padres, Atlanta and Tigers all having expressed interest. Pagan WBC performance certainly helped his value.

[Otters27]

Mat Cain competing for last rotation spot. I remember when that guy was unhitable. Seemed like he just threw fastballs all the time too

[EmpireMaker]

11:09pm: Bourjos is indeed heading to the Rays in exchange for cash considerations, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports on Twitter.
10:41pm: The Rays are “working on a deal to acquire” outfielder Peter Bourjos from the White Sox, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Bourjos, who’ll turn 30 in a few days, signed with Chicago on a minor-league deal over the winter.
Valued mostly for his speed and defense, Bourjos has been inconsistent with the bat and owns a lifetime .243/.300/.382 batting line. But he has had his moments at the plate over parts of seven MLB seasons. And he owns a productive .313/.340/.521 slash this spring, seemingly opening the door to semi-regular playing time with the rebuilding White Sox.
It could be, though, that the Sox have other ideas up the middle. 25-year-old switch-hitter Jacob May has topped Bourjos’s stat line and could be ready for a shot at the majors despite meager production last year in his first attempt at Triple-A. With the Article XX(B) free agent decision deadline looming, it seems Bourjos didn’t really factor into the Sox’ plans.
It seems that Bourjos will function as a reserve outfielder in Tampa Bay. As Topkin notes, Colby Rasmus is expected to open the season on the DL, which creates some need for depth. And the club evidently isn’t content with utilizing Mallex Smith as the only center field-capable reserve; like Kevin Kiermaier, he’s a left-handed hitter. What the addition means for Smith remains to be seen.

[EmpireMaker]

The Orioles have announced the releases of outfielder Michael Bourn and infielder Chris Johnson. In Bourn’s case, he utilized his opt-out clause, with the team evidently unwilling to place him on the 40-man roster.
Of course, Bourn has missed most of spring camp with a broken finger, which sapped any chance at making the Opening Day roster. But it had seemed there was a chance he’d remain in the organization while rehabbing to see whether there’d be an opportunity when he returned to full health.
That said, the fit in Baltimore was never that great — at least from an outside perspective. In Hyun-Soo Kim and Seth Smith, the O’s already have a pair of lefty bats that ought to occupy the corners whenever there’s a righty on the mound. And while Bourn could have spelled Adam Jones in center, that wasn’t exactly a burning need. The righty-swinging Craig Gentry could fill that role while also providing a more sensible platoon option in the corners.
It still won’t come as much of a surprise if Bourn resurfaces in the majors before long. Whether he’ll wait to sign until he’s ready to return isn’t clear, but in either event he could represent an intriguing depth option for a variety of organizations. After all, though his bat has steadily declined of late, he finished strong last year with the O’s and is still capable of contributing in the field and with the glove.
As for Johnson, a solid spring (.269/.310/.493) wasn’t enough to move the needle for the O’s, who seem likely to prioritize flexibility and defense with their bench mix. The 32-year-old had been a rather productive major league hitter before signing an extension with the Braves early in the 2014 season. Over the past three campaigns, he has scuffled to a .252/.288/.348 batting line in 1,068 plate appearances.

[EmpireMaker]

The Dodgers will utilize lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu out of the rotation when camp breaks, manager Dave Roberts told reporters including Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). That leaves Brandon McCarthy and Alex Wood still battling for the fifth and final rotation job, though both will end up on the MLB roster.
It’s not altogether surprising at this point to hear that Ryu will join the staff, though it’s certainly promising news that the Dodgers think he’s ready to handle the load. He seemingly locked the job up with his outing today, which extended his spring stat line to 14 innings of 2.57 ERA ball, over which he racked up a dozen strikeouts with just one walk.
Ryu, who just turned 30, has basically missed all of the past two seasons with arm issues. And it is certainly an open question whether he can stay healthy for the long haul. But the upside is obvious — he posted a 3.17 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 over 344 innings from 2013-14 — and there’s little reason not to hand him the ball and see what happens with two years and $14MM left on his contract.
After all, the Dodgers are clearly set up to get what they can out of health risks such as Ryu while covering when the need arises. In this case, one of McCarthy and Wood will be on hand in the bullpen. And while the news seemingly tickets Ross Stripling for Triple-A, he’ll be among the arms ready to step into the rotation. Los Angeles has already stashed a not-so-secret weapon there in outstanding youngster Julio Urias.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Leyland went with the hotter bat I guess...although he kept throwing Arenado out there even after his golden sombrero game.

very odd, made no sense...Hosmer is a nice player but not in Goldy's league.

[El Nino]

I don't have faith that Ryu will hold up all season.

[Chi_archie]

I don't have faith that Ryu will hold up all season.

I see a couple DL stints

[koz-man]

Addison Russell (back) is hopeful to play Wednesday or at lest Thur/Fri but missing opening day isn't completely out of the question if he isn't 100 percent. He's close but doesn't want to take any chances. Ben Zobrist (neck) is back in the lineup on Tuesday after missing a week.

[BigSpoon]

Trump declines Nats invite to throw first pitch: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...ls-opening-day

[Cross]

First time I can remember Russell having any injury.

[Andy117]

First time I can remember Russell having any injury.

The year after a WS win rarely goes quite as smoothly as you'd like.

[mr. leisure]

I wonder after the Raiders move are the A`s going too ?

[El Nino]

I wonder after the Raiders move are the A`s going too ?

They can't play in that dump much longer.

[BigSpoon]

I wonder after the Raiders move are the A`s going too ?

Oakland might be without any pro teams in a few years. Raiders and Warriors will be gone for sure with the A's not far behind.

[Cross]

Why would the Warriors leave Oakland?

[BigSpoon]

Why would the Warriors leave Oakland?

They are going to move into their new downtown arena in San Francisco for the 2018-19 NBA season. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden..._San_Francisco

[EmpireMaker]

Major League Baseball could suspend Mets closer Jeurys Familia as early as Tuesday for an alleged domestic violence incident last October, report Kristie Ackert and Christian Red of the New York Daily News. The Mets are only expecting the league to ban Familia for approximately 15 games, per Ackert and Red, who note that the 27-year-old’s wife, Bianca Rivas, has said during MLB’s investigation that he didn’t hit her. Familia was alleged to have caused bodily injury to Rivas, which led to an arrest on a charge of simple assault. That charge was dropped and expunged from Familia’s record in December, though, after Rivas told a New Jersey judge she wasn’t interested in pursuing the case.
More from the East Coast:

• The Yankees informed right-hander Adam Warren on Tuesday that he’s no longer in the running for the final two spots in their rotation, writes Randy Miller of NJ.com. That’s not particularly surprising, as Warren always seemed like a long shot on account of his vast experience as a reliever. He’ll once again take on a bullpen role this year, while two of Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Chad Green and Jordan Montgomery will fill out the Yankees’ starting five.
• The Marlins will open the season without a left-handed reliever, having optioned Hunter Cervenka to the minors on Tuesday, per Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. They also sent Justin Nicolino down, thus clinching the fifth spot in the rotation for Adam Conley. Although Conley looked like a shoo-in for a starting job at the outset of spring training, his struggles combined with Nicolino’s effectiveness nearly produced an unexpected outcome. “[Optioning Nicolino] was probably our toughest decision. He pitched really well in spring,” manager Don Mattingly said. “I shouldn’t say surprised because we know it’s there, but coming into camp I kind of looked at him as an outside chance, really, and he’s really opened a lot of eyes and a lot of conversation about who that fifth guy should be.”
• It doesn’t appear the left oblique strain Mets outfielder Juan Lagares suffered Saturday is anything serious. Lagares underwent an MRI on Tuesday, and while results aren’t yet known, he told ESPN Deportes’ Marly Rivera that he’s “almost 100 percent” (via Ackert). Of course, if Lagares is OK, he seems likely to start the year as the Mets’ fourth outfielder, which could lead to a demotion to the minors for Michael Conforto.
• The Orioles hope to re-sign outfielder Michael Bourn and infielder Chris Johnson, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Baltimore released the pair Monday (Bourn exercised his opt-out clause) after neither cracked its big league roster.
• The Nationals released veteran reliever Matt Albers on Monday, but he could return to the organization on a minors deal if he’s unable to land a major league contract elsewhere, a source told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Oakland might be without any pro teams in a few years. Raiders and Warriors will be gone for sure with the A's not far behind.

I don't like this trend of teams moving to different cities. I'm still gutted from the Chargers leaving San Diego.

[Chi_archie]

I don't like this trend of teams moving to different cities. I'm still gutted from the Chargers leaving San Diego.

yeah it just doesn't feel right

[koz-man]

The Cubs will keep Matt Szczur and Tommy La Stella on the roster for now as pitcher Brian Duensing will begin the season on the DL as he's recovering from back spasms, per Theo Epstein.

[mr. leisure]

I don't like this trend of teams moving to different cities. I'm still gutted from the Chargers leaving San Diego.

All about the money of course .

[Andy117]

All about the money of course .

It always has been. It's a shame that cities and states still bend over for leagues and owners.

[EmpireMaker]

MARCH 29: Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that McCarthy has, indeed, been tabbed for the final spot in the rotation. Roberts told the L.A. media today that McCarthy will start the fourth game of the season in Los Angeles, with Ryu getting the nod in Colorado in the following contest. Those decisions land Wood in the bullpen, though certainly, given the injury concerns that constantly surround McCarthy, Ryu and the currently-injured Scott Kazmir, Wood could find himself with a rotation opportunity at some point during the season.
McCullough further tweets that Stripling will not be going to Triple-A but will instead begin the season in long relief. The Dodgers will trot out a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, McCarthy and Ryu with Kenley Jansen, Sergio Romo, Grant Dayton, Luis Avilan, Chris Hatcher, Wood and Stripling in the relief corps.
MARCH 27: The Dodgers will utilize lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu out of the rotation when camp breaks, manager Dave Roberts told reporters including Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). That leaves Brandon McCarthy and Alex Wood still battling for the fifth and final rotation job, though both will end up on the MLB roster.
It’s not altogether surprising at this point to hear that Ryu will join the staff, though it’s certainly promising news that the Dodgers think he’s ready to handle the load. He seemingly locked the job up with his outing today, which extended his spring stat line to 14 innings of 2.57 ERA ball, over which he racked up a dozen strikeouts with just one walk.
Ryu, who just turned 30, has basically missed all of the past two seasons with arm issues. And it is certainly an open question whether he can stay healthy for the long haul. But the upside is obvious — he posted a 3.17 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 over 344 innings from 2013-14 — and there’s little reason not to hand him the ball and see what happens with two years and $14MM left on his contract.
After all, the Dodgers are clearly set up to get what they can out of health risks such as Ryu while covering when the need arises. In this case, one of McCarthy and Wood will be on hand in the bullpen. And while the news seemingly tickets Ross Stripling for Triple-A, he’ll be among the arms ready to step into the rotation. Los Angeles has already stashed a not-so-secret weapon there in outstanding youngster Julio Urias.

[Chi_archie]

Pirates made two surprising moves for their fan base, but they were both roundly applauded

released Jared Hughes outright

demoted Drew Hutchinson, whom they trade Francisco Liriano and two prospects for

[JAKEPEAVY21]

All about the money of course .

yep, screw the fans..