Official 2012 Spring Training Thread.

[Station 13]

Ryan Madson Out For Season

By Zach Links [March 24 at 1:15pm CST]

 

The elbow injury to Reds closer Ryan Madson will require Tommy John surgery, ending the right-hander's season, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). The Reds do not have insurance on Madson's one-year, $8.5MM contract, Fay tweets.

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Sox dodged that bullet.

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Seriously. Sucks for him.

[Station 13]

Rangers sending Ogando back to the pen. Are they crazy?

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Berkman plays truck prank on Wainwright

 

JUPITER, Fla. -- Lance Berkman and several Cardinals teammates helped pull off a terrific April Fools' joke on Adam Wainwright during Sunday's game.

 

The pranksters had the public address announcer give away a car to a fan, who, playing along with the gag, ran onto the field to collect his gift. Berkman drove the vehicle -- Wainwright's white Chevy Silverado -- onto the field and past an unsuspecting Wainwright, who did a double-take at the license plate while sitting in the dugout.

 

The winning fan, who was David Freese's cousin, jumped into the back of the truck and Berkman drove out of the stadium.

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MLB To Suspend Oviedo For Six Weeks

By Steve Adams [April 1 at 3:15pm CST]

 

Major League Baseball will suspend Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly known as Leo Nunez) for six weeks following his removal from the restricted list, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

 

Oviedo is currently home in the Dominican Republic where he's performing community service required to acquire a visa that will allow him to come back to the United States. Jackson calls the acquistion of a visa "inevitable," but doesn't offer a timetable for when it will happen. Perhaps most importantly for the Marlins, they aren't required to pay any of Oviedo's $6MM salary while he's on the restricted list or suspended.

 

The Fish inked Heath Bell to a three-year pact this offseason, and Oviedo figured to be his primary setup man. He'll surrender that role to Edward Mujica, according to Jackson. In three seasons as the Marlins' closer, Oviedo totaled 198 innings and 92 saves to go along with a 3.86 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9. He's been the center of plenty of offseason controversy after it was revealed that he was playing under a false identity.

 

Guardians Agree To Extension With Asdrubal Cabrera

By Zach Links [April 1 at 5:22pm CST]

 

The Guardians have reached agreement on an extension with Asdrubal Cabrera, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The two-year deal will cover the 2013-2014 seasons and is worth $16.5MM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link), who first reported that the two sides were nearing agreement.

 

Cabrera, who is represented by Octagon, avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.55MM this offseason. This new contract would buy out his final year of arbitration eligibility as well as one free agent season.

 

The 26-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2011, batting .273/.332/.460 with a career-high 25 home runs and 17 stolen bases. Cabrera has made several notable highlight defensive plays over the past few seasons, but Ultimate Zone Rating hasn't been a fan of his defense at shortstop, pegging him at -12.6 runs below average per 150 games in 2011.

 

When examining Cabrera's extension candidacy this offseason (prior to his arbitration settlement), MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested a four-year, $27MM would make sense for both sides. If the extension goes through at $16.5MM, Tim's $6.75MM average annual value would be close, though for one fewer year; the Guardians would control Cabrera for three years at $21.05MM -- slightly more than $7MM per season.

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Cain, Giants agree to five-year extension

 

MLB.com | 04/02/12 3:30 PM ET

 

The Giants have taken a proactive step to keep their prized rotation intact. San Francisco announced Monday that it has reached agreement on a five-year contract extension with Matt Cain, reportedly worth $112.5 million. That deal will keep Cain, a right-hander, with the Giants through 2017 and will also include a vesting option for the '18 campaign.

 

Cain, a two-time All-Star and the longest-tenured Giant, has made at least 30 starts in each of his first six full seasons. The 27-year-old has been able to throw at least 200 innings in five straight years, and his 3.35 career ERA ranks fifth among all active pitchers. Cain went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three postseason starts in San Francisco's 2010 title run.

 

Brian Sabean, the team's senior vice president and general manager, issued a statement regarding the deal.

 

"Ensuring that Matt remained a Giant beyond this season was a top priority for the organization," he said. "Matt is an integral part of the team whose performance on the mound will be one of the keys to our success for years to come."

 

Cain, the 25th overall selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, has posted a 69-73 record in his brief career. Cain threw 21 1/3 scoreless innings in the 2010 postseason, the sixth-longest streak in MLB history to start a postseason career.

 

With a career-best 2.88 ERA last season, Cain ranked eighth in the National League in that statistic. He also tied for the league lead with 26 quality starts, while holding opponents to a .217 batting average, a mark topped only by lefties Clayton Kershaw (.207) and Cole Hamels (.214).

 

Larry Baer, San Francisco's president and chief executive officer, said this deal was important for the organization.

 

"The success of our franchise depends on developing and retaining homegrown talent like Matt Cain," said Baer. "I want to commend Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Matt and his representatives for their hard work to keep Matt in the Orange and Black. This is an exciting day for Giants fans everywhere and a fantastic way to kick off the 2012 season."

 

Cross that name off the list.

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Sox dodged that bullet.

 

Unfortunately, they didnt dodge the Andrew Bailey bullet.

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Unfortunately' date=' they didnt dodge the Andrew Bailey bullet.[/quote']

 

Madson is out for the season, if Bailey pitches one inning, he beat Madson.

[Station 13]

Reds nearing a extension with Votto. Could surpass fielders contract.