So, who else has the Orioles trying - and failing - to sign Peyton Manning?
- The Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim (of California (USA))) have been overwhelmed by demand for tickets, following their offseason acquisitions of Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. Fans lined up for over eight hours yesterday to redeem tickets they could get via a prepaid discount voucher program, and many left without anything to show for their wait. Yesterday was the first day fans could get tickets via that method, and apparently the Angels vastly underestimated their own popularity when more than 1000 people showed up. Last year, there were about 75 people on the first day of the voucher redemption program.
- After 14 seasons, Carlos Guillen is hangin' 'em up. The 36-year-old Guillen was a non-roster invitee at Mariners' camp, where he started his career. Guillen made three All-Star teams, all with the Detroit Tigers, and finishes with a .285/.355/.443 line.
- The Angels continue on their quest to force square peg Mark Trumbo into round hole third base. They now acknowledge that his size - 6'4" 220 - could make the transition difficult. I understand that Trumbo has prodigious power, but it's fair to wonder: Alberto Callaspo's bat, in a different way, isn't that much worse than Trumbo's. And if Callaspo was a good defender at third base, how much are the Angels really gaining by putting Trumbo there?
- Speaking of third basemen, oft-injured New York Mets star David Wright is on the shelf with "left rib cage soreness." He has yet to make his Spring debut, and might not for another week or more.
- If and when Wright sees action this year, he'll like one thing the Mets are doing: bringing in the fences at Citi Field. For three years, it's been the place power hitters went to die, so I'm sure hitters will appreciate the move. The Mets are hoping that so, too, will the fans.
- Jeff Sullivan at Baseball Nation catalogs the growing pile of reasons that, despite all logic, Felix Hernandez will never be traded by the Seattle Mariners. The reasons, for the most part, all tie to one central theme: Hernandez really, really wants to stay in Seattle.
- MLB Daily Dish has undertaken an exceedingly useful and ambitious project, seeking to list rosters, depth charts, and contract info for every single player in an organization. They're also listing top prospects.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.