In light of the Nationals deciding that Cristian Guzman would not be their starting shortstop (after losing out to the great Ian Desmond), I thought it be worth a look around the majors at the most expensive bench players. Thanks to injuries, poor play, or both, these guys will be starting year doing what many us [...]

It’s been awhile since anything Rosenthal has written has made me laugh out loud. Well, this nugget did… in a good way:

“Look out, Roger Federer: David Ortiz said he played tennis for the first time in his life on Saturday, volleying with his wife, Tiffany. For what it’s worth, Ortiz said he exceeded his wife’s expectations, but [...]

Rejoice, fellow Mets fans! It’s 2000 all over again…. …sort of…

“The Newark Bears announced today the signing of pitcher Armando Benitez and infielder Edgardo Alfonzo to the 2010 roster. Benitez and Alfonzo were teammates for the 2000 New York Mets. “I am excited to add to the Bears tradition. Two more established Major Leaguers, Edgardo and Armando were both key components to the Mets [...]

Via ESPN.com chat:

So says Sid Hartman:

So you wonder if reigning American League MVP Joe Mauer and his agent, Ron Shapiro , are concerned about the consequences of Mauer suffering a serious injury should the former Cretin-Derham Hall all-around athlete choose to not re-sign with the Twins this year and become a free agent at the end of this season. If Mauer did suffer [...]

We’ll call this a brief cameo, thanks to Bill Madden:

Like everyone else in baseball, the Yankee high command is watching with keen interest how the Joe Mauer negotiations with the Minnesota Twins play out this spring. Unlike most other teams, however, the Yankees have both the financial resources to afford the MVP catcher as well as the surplus of talent [...]

Once again, Carlos Pena professes his love for the Rays and his desire to stay there long term. I never expected to see anyone express a strong desire to stay with the Rays long term, but wow have times changed:

Pena carries that mentality everywhere. So don’t ask him if he is worried about his 0-for-18 start [...]

Ugly line from Ben Sheets today: 0.0 IP, 8 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 1 BB, 1 HR Yikes. Despite his poor performance, Sheets’s optimistic approach reminds us all that this is spring training:

“I felt great,” said Sheets, who missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery. … Today was a good day, and I felt like I [...]

Padres closer Heath Bell will not be a free agent until after the 2011 season, but that doesn’t stop folks from questioning Bell’s future with the Padres. Will Bell stay in San Diego long term or will his rising salary force the Padres to eventually trade him? Common sense would suggest the latter, but Bell is willing [...]

When you think about the Red Sox from 2003-2009, the image of David Ortiz immediately comes to mind. Big Papi has been the face of the Red Sox since he burst onto the scene in 2003, but will 2010 be Ortiz’s final season with the Sawx? You be the judge:

Ortiz is tight-lipped when asked if there is [...]

As Ian Desmond continues to make his case to be the Nationals starting shortstop, one has to wonder where this would leave free agent to be Cristian Guzman. The Nationals know that Guzman has lost a step defensively and is not going to be a long term asset for the franchise, so it makes sense for [...]

That’s is everything doesn’t pan out with the Twins of course….

“In the end, I think the Twins sign him,’’ said a National League assistant general manager. “If they don’t, my bet is Boston. First of all, there’ll be a limited market. Two or three teams? One of them will be the Yankees, but if you know Mauer, [...]

Nearly a month ago, Brian Cashman declared that there will be no talks with either Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera regarding contract extensions:

When Brian Cashman looks at Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi, the Yankees GM paints his shortstop, closer and manager with the same brush. And with spring training opening next week in Tampa, Cashman [...]

The Mets say yes. Reyes says no. Who to believe? Mets:

Jose Reyes has an overactive thyroid. The Mets said late Tuesday that tests administered in New York on Monday confirmed the original diagnosis. The club said little else except that Reyes is to remain in New York for additional blood tests, which will determine how he [...]