The Colorado Rockies have settled their roster:
Rotation:
- Aaron Cook, RHP
- Ubaldo Jiminez, RHP
- Franklin Morales, LHP
- Jason Marquis, RHP
- Jorge De La Rosa, LHP
Bullpen (yet to be formally announced):
- Manuel Corpas, RHP
- Huston Street, RHP
- Jason Grilli, RHP
- Ryan Speier, RHP
- Juan Morillo, RHP
- Alan Embree, LHP
- Glendon Rusch, LHP
Lineup:
C: Chris Iannetta
1B: Todd Helton
2B: Clint Barmes
3B: Garrett Atkins
SS: Troy Tulowitki
RF: Brad Hawpe
CF: Ryan Spilborghs
LF: Seth Smith
Bench:
- Dexter Fowler, OF
- Jeff Baker, IF/OF
- Ian Stewart, IF/OF
- Omar Quintanilla, IF
- Yorvit Torrealba, C
The Arizona Diamondbacks have made their final pitching cuts and now have a set pitching staff:
Rotation:
- Brandon Webb, RHP
- Dan Haren, RHP
- Doug Davis, LHP
- Jon Garland, RHP
- Max Scherzer, RHP (placed on disabled list until April 14)
Bullpen:
- Chad Qualls, RHP (closer)
- Tony Pena, RHP
- Jon Rauch, RHP
- Scott Schoeneweiss, LHP
- Yusmeiro Petit, RHP
- Juan Gutierrez, RHP
- Doug Slaten, LHP
- Billy Buckner, RHP
Note: Either Petit, Gutierrez, Slaten, or Buckner will be cut by April 14 to make room for Scherzer.
The Washington Nationals released outfielder Willy Mo Pena. Pena, 27, hit .205/.243/.267 in 206 plate appearances last season.
Pena never got a chance in Washington, and future opportunities looked slim with the crowded outfield. Pena will try to sign a minor league deal with a team with less depth.
In a surprising move, the Florida Marlins released third baseman Dallas McPherson. With Emilio Bonifacio winning the third base job, the Marlins felt they had no need for the lefty slugger. McPherson was out of options. Last season in AAA, the 28-year-old hit .275/.379/.618 in 530 plate appearances.
Teams with potential holes at third should definitely look to sign McPherson. Two teams that come to mind are the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
The Toronto Blue Jays roster is nearly set:
Bullpen:
- B.J. Ryan, LHP
- Scott Downs, LHP
- Jesse Carlson, LHP
- Brian Tallet, LHP
- Brandon League, RHP
- Jason Frasor, RHP
- Shawn Camp, RHP
Bench:
- Kevin Millar,
- Jose Bautista, 3B/OF
- John McDonald, IF
Other notes:
- The competition for the fifth starter spot comes down to Brad Mills and Scott Richmond.
- The backup catcher is still undecided.
- Manager Cito Gaston was asked of the team might have any interest in Gary Sheffield and he simply said no.
The San Diego Padres rotation might be set:
- Jake Peavy, RHP
- Chris Young, RHP
- Walter Silva, RHP
- Kevin Correia, RHP
- Shawn Hill, RHP
Things don’t look good when Walter Silva is the team’s third starter.
The Florida Marlins optioned first baseman Gaby Sanchez and pitcher Burke Badenhop today. By demoting Sanchez, Emilio Bonifacio becomes the team’s third baseman with Jorge Cantu being moved over to first base.
I’ve touched on the possibility of this move before. In short, Sanchez should be the Marlins first baseman.
The Houston Astros acquired infielder Jeff Keppinger from the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later. Keppinger, 29 this month, hit .266/.310/.346 in plate appearances last season.
Keppinger will play third for Houston. The infielder is better suited for a backup role, playing him at third is a stretch. The move means Paul Janish or Adam Rosales will make the Reds 25-man roster as a utility infielder.
The Houston Astros appear to have a set rotation:
- Roy Oswalt, RHP
- Wandy Rodriguez, LHP
- Brian Moehler, RHP
- Mike Hampton, LHP
- Russ Ortiz, RHP
Ortiz might not pitch until th team needs a fifth starter. Oswalt will pitch every fifth day no matter what.
The New York Mets roster is set:
Starting Rotation:
- John Maine, RHP
- Johan Santana, LHP
- Oliver Perez, LHP
- Mike Pelfrey, RHP
- Livan Hernandez, RHP (inactive until April 11)
Bullpen:
- Francisco Rodriguez, RHP
- J.J. Putz, RHP
- Bobby Parnell, RHP
- Darren O’Day, RHP
- Brian Stokes, RHP
- Pedro Feliciano, LHP
- Sean Green, RHP
Lineup:
C: Brian Schneider
1B: Carlos Delgado
2B: Luis Castillo
3B: David Wright
SS: Jose Reyes
RF: Ryan Church
CF: Carlos Beltran
LF: Daniel Murphy
Bench:
- Ramon Castro, C
- Alex Cora, IF
- Marlon Anderson, IF/OF
- Nick Evans, IF (active until April 11)
- Fernando Tatis, OF
- Jeremy Reed, OF