MLB Bullets Is On The Right Track

While you guys were all at the convention, I was in bed with a 103 degree fever.

• I don't normally do any Cubs news, but seriously, the Cubs were the only team that made anything close to news over the weekend. While I leave the convention wrap-up to Al and Erik, I will mention that Matthew Kory thinks Theo Epstein has the team on the right track.
• The Cubs made a "real offer" for Masahiro Tanaka. I will note that despite Jayson Stark's belief that the Cubs are the favorites to sign Tanaka, Gordon Wittenmyer still calls the team a "long shot." I guess we'll find out who is right soon.
• Grant Brisbee notes the reasons that signing Tanaka makes sense for the Cubs.
• The big news from last week was Clayton Kershaw's massive contract extension, and the fallout from that continues. Kershaw said the amount of money in the deal is "a tremendous blessing and a tremendous responsibility."
• Ken Rosenthal notes that the opt-out clause that Kershaw got gives him the opportunity to make a lot more money later on.
• Tom Verducci thinks that despite all the money they're paying, the Dodgers got a good deal locking up Kershaw.
• Giancarlo Stanton, on the other hand, hasn't had any contract extension talks with the Marlins.
• Dayn Perry thinks the Rays should hang on to David Price, at least until the trade deadline.
• They had a memorial service at Petco Park for Jerry Coleman. The always humble Coleman would have hated it, but he deserved it anyway.
• Jon Paul Morosi says that baseball's announcement of the new instant replay rules proves the commissioner and the owners have baseball's best interests at heart, despite what they may have done in the Alex Rodriguez case. Seriously, this is a decent article about instant replay, but the A-Rod connection is lost on me.
• Larry Granillo says that if the news of the past week has gotten you down, remember, there is nothing wrong with the game itself. The business of the game, maybe. But not the game we played as children.
• David Schoenfield says that despite the optimism in the Gateway to the West this winter, the Cardinals are much more likely to win 90 games in 2014 than 100.
• Shelby Miller doesn't know why he barely pitched in the post-season but that he's not going to dwell on it.
• Cliche alert: Every year we hear that players are going to report to spring training "in the best shape of his life" (ITBSOHL) as if that means they're going to have a great season. And no one has ever found a correlation between improved performance and claims of being ITBSOHL. So take this for what it's worth, but Matt Adams is ITBSOHL.
• For those of you who miss Tim McCarver already, he's going to call 30 Cardinals games this year. I'm sure there's a lot of schadenfreude going on in Cubs nation right now.
• Aaron Cook is attempting a comeback.
• Charlie Manuel has joined the Phillies front office as an adviser.
• I wonder if he has anything to do with this. The Phillies are interested in Vernon Wells.
• After getting spurned by the Orioles, Grant Balfour may be able to put down that deposit on the condo he had picked out after all. Because the Nationals are interested in signing the veteran reliever.
• The Mets signed John Lannan.
• Jay Jaffe looks at the Rockies off-season.
• The Reds are talking to Grady Sizemore about being a backup outfielder for the team.
• Jhonny Peralta wants to prove he can "play baseball naturally." Whew. For a minute there, I thought he said he wanted to prove he could play baseball au naturel.
• David Schoenfield thinks the Ranges have become one of baseball's "crown jewels" thanks in part to their willingness to make changes.
• Tracy Ringolsby talks to Yankees scout (and former Cubs scout) Gary Hughes about multi-sport players he has scouted.
• Justin Verlander threatened to plunk Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman for his post-game comments. So I guess if the Tigers ever play the Seahawks, Sherman had better look out.
• Roger Clemens isn't as famous as he probably thinks he is.
• Former Mets backup catcher Barry Lyons got his life back together after Hurricane Katrina and drug addiction thanks in part to baseball's B.A.T. program.
• And finally, rapper/actor Drake took to Saturday Night Live as Alex Rodriguez to explain how all of those text messages were just an honest mistake.

In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.