MLB Bullets Is A M*A*S*H Unit

I should write something smart up here. Next time.

• The Braves starter rotation is starting to come apart at the seams. Mike Minor was expected to start the season on the DL and Kris Medlen exited Sunday's game with a forearm injury. On Monday Medlen underwent an MRI which revealed "injury to the ligament" on his right elbow. He's going to get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews before deciding what to do. Remember: no athlete gets a second opinion if the first one was good. Obviously the concern is that Medlen will have to undergo his second Tommy John surgery.
• As if that wasn't bad enough, Brandon Beachy exited Monday's game with "muscle tightness." He'll miss his next start and will likely start the season on the DL. (If any Braves fan complains to you about all this, just respond "1985.")
• Jon Paul Morosi says the Braves situation is now "desperate" and that the Braves must make a move to stabilize their rotation.
• David O'Brien says the Braves will not make a "panic move" and trade their minor league prospects for an established starter. Earlier he wrote (and I jotted down) that the Braves were unlikely to pursue Ervin Santana because of the money involved, but he's now edited his article to say that they are looking at signing the former Royal.
• Grant Brisbee gets off the line of the week when he writes "Good gravy. These aren't Braves pitchers. They're Spinal Tap drummers." He also writes that when Freddi Gonzalez is saying "Thank God we signed Freddy Garcia," (which he did say) it's time for the Braves to take desperate measures. Or at least bite the bullet and give Ervin Santana the money he wants.
• Santana will make up his mind where he wants to sign in the next day or two.
• Ken Rosenthal wrote this before the Braves situation blew up, but he writes that the Blue Jays are the favorites to land Santana, despite only offering a one-year deal, whereas the Orioles and Twins are offering three-year deals. Santana figures that if he gets another qualifying offer at the end of this year, he could just take it and he'll have, essentially, a two-year deal for $30 million, which is about what the Orioles and Twins are offering over three years. Of course, he's risking that he doesn't blow out his arm this season and that he'll pitch well enough to get a qualifying offer.
• The Orioles VP Dan Duquette says that he really doesn't know what is going on with Santana. That's never a good sign.
• Maybe he ought to check in on what's going on with his own Manny Machado, who is unhappy with the small raise the team gave him in his new contract. You know, Manny, if you're upset with the Orioles, maybe you ought to consider coming to a team where you'd feel more welcome. Maybe one with your cousin on it.
• Dave Golebiewski thinks the Diamondbacks got a bargain in Oliver Perez.
• Barry Bonds is back in baseball as a special hitting instructor for the Giants. He's also channeling his inner anti-Alice Cooper, singing "No More Mr. Mean Guy."
• Jim Caple says he's glad to see Bonds back in the game.
• Bonds also says that "without a doubt" he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Ted Berg says he's right.
• Ken Rosenthal begs to differ, saying that he won't vote for Bonds, although he reserves the right to change his mind in the future. He also gladly pleads guilty to the charge that the BBWAA has appointed itself the "gatekeepers of morality."
• Craig Calcaterra responds to Rosenthal, saying that Bonds is not getting the "fair hearing" that Rosenthal claims Bonds is getting.
• Maybe if Bonds can't get into Cooperstown, he can get into the Basketball Hall of Fame. After all, Bonds is the all-time NBA home run leader. Although as Marc Normandin notes, Gene Conley hit five home runs in his career, Danny Ainge hit two and Mark Hendrickson hit one.
• I suppose that's something Tracy McGrady can shoot for one day, because the former NBA all-star has been invited to spring training with the Sugar Land Skeeters. He still has to make the team, of course. And as a pitcher, it might be tough for McGrady to crank out 763 home runs. Especially since he's already 34.
• Ryan Braun doesn't want to talk about the past because he says he doesn't want to be a distraction. How very selfless of him not to discuss his PED use or his suspension.
• Cincinnati beat writer John Fay calls B.S. on Brandon Phillips. Phillips says he won't talk to the local media because they talked about his struggles last season without mentioning his wrist injury, but Fay says they mentioned it pretty much every day and he has the archives to prove it. (h/t Hardball Talk.)
• Dayan Viciedo is ignoring the trade rumors. Boy, it's going to be awkward on opening day when he shows up at the Cell and Robin Ventura says to him "What are you doing here? Didn't you hear? You play for Minnesota."
• More injury news. Cee Angi says that the Tigers are one injury away from having a broken outfield. Hence, the Nate Schierholtz rumor, which Dayan Viciedo is also ignoring.
• Jonathan Bernhardt has a list of players who may be traded by opening day.
• Richard Dietsch has a reporters round table with baseball writers Jay Jaffe, La Velle Neal, Ken Rosenthal, Joel Sherman and Susan Slusser about what their jobs are like. It's more interesting than it sounds like.
• Jonah Keri goes to spring training for three different teams (Twins, Red Sox and Rays. All in Florida, of course) to see how their philosophies of developing prospects differs.
• Tom Verducci says that Archie Bradley may force his way into the opening day Diamondbacks rotation. He also says Bradley could have the same kind of impact as a rookie that Dwight Gooden and Kerry Wood had.
• However, it's looking more and more unlikely that Cardinals outfield prospect Oscar Taveras will start the season in St. Louis.
• Some in St. Louis are seeing a young Derek Jeter in new Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz. Is that like seeing Jesus burned into your toast? Diaz will start the season in the minors too.
• Richard Durrett thinks Jurickson Profar is the Rangers "X factor" this season.
• David Schoenfield thinks Brandon Belt could win a batting title one year.
• The impact that Robinson Cano has on the Mariners is most apparent when he's gone.
• Rob Neyer has a summary of some interesting presentations at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
• In anticipation of the games in Australia this week, the New York Times has a look at the nineteenth century origins of the game down under.
• This article is mostly about MLS, but it's about the business of baseball and all professional sports in America, and it ties into some stuff I've been thinking a lot about lately. Neil deMause looks at the economics of expansion and how the monopoly cartels in professional sports affects where the teams are located. He rightly notes that if baseball were a free market, there would likely be around six teams in New York and this would lessen the power of the Yankees.
• Julia Ruth Stevens talks about her famous father and says that he was denied a chance to manage because he would have signed black players. Maybe. Babe Ruth was certainly more progressive on race than most players of his era and did play in off-season exhibition games against Negro League players. But Ruth never said anything about integrating baseball during his career at a time when his speaking up could have made a real impact.
• And around that time, Giants manager John McGraw came up with a scheme to combat the growing popularity of Ruth and the Yankees. He would sign a Jewish superstar. Joe Posnanski has the story of Mose Solomon, also known as "The Rabbi Of Swat."
• McGraw should have just done what the Fresno Grizzlies are going to do this season, which is wear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-themed uniforms. That would have sent the popularity of the Giants through the roof.
• Finally, is there trouble in the marriage of Mr. and Mrs Met? It looks like Sluggerrr, the Royals mascot, is trying to be a bit of a homewrecker.

And a reward for those of you who have read this far. I, and some other posters on this board, have got an ESPN fantasy baseball league that has been going on since 2008. We have one opening for this upcoming season. If you're interested, email me (Josh) by the link on the masthead. I'll accept applications until mid-morning and pick one of you, probably at random, for an invite. But if you want to increase your chances, put a comment in this article stating in 25 words or less (or so) why you deserve an invite. (You'll have to tell me which comment is yours, of course, because I don't have all your screen names memorized by your email address) Creative answers will be worth the most. Chances will be decreased for "Please x25."

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.