Tuesday, February 18, 2014

No Snow In Bradenton...

Notes...

  • All 58 players due in camp (40 man roster + 18 invitees) have reported in. The best news so far is that Wandy has gone through two bullpens sessions and been pain-free.
  • Another year, another Opening Day starter: Ian Snell (2008), Paul Maholm (2009), Zach Duke (2010), Kevin Correia (2011), Erik Bedard (2012), AJ Burnett (2013) and TBA (we're expecting Frankie). The first game is right around the corner, on March 31st at PNC Park against the Cubbies.
  • Hey, guess what - Scott Boras thinks his client, Kendrys Morales, is a "perfect fit" in Pittsburgh. Can't blame him for touting his client; the market is pretty dry right now for Morales.
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN takes an unbiased look at AJ's decision to pitch for Philly
  • It's not bad enough the Phils grabbed AJ - now CSN Philly is joining the regression chorus for the 2014 Bucs.
  • It doesn't seem like the Buc FO is concerned about their pitching, even with the loss of AJ and a bunch of question marks on the staff. By all indicators, they're not looking for help, so they're apparently not blowing smoke when they say they like what they've got on hand. And if that's the case, the Bucs have a few weeks to look for some help for the Pirate attack with AJ's budgeted money ($12M, reportedly) freed up.
  • The Mets will wear a commemorative patch to honor Ralph Kiner; we're a bit surprised the Bucs aren't. After all, Kiner did lead the NL in HR for seven straight years as a Pirate among his other feats.
  • Ex-Bucs: LHP Dana Eveland is back from Korea and signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

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