MLB Bullets And The New Face Of The Dodgers

Is it spring yet?

• If you recall from last time, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke wasn't too sure the Dodgers improved this offseason. Grant Brisbee evaluates the Dodgers projected lineup and tells Greinke not to worry.
• Steve Dilbeck panicked anyway and thinks the Dodgers should sign James Shields.
• There is a report that the Cardinals are interested in Shields. I guess he wouldn't need to apply for a new drivers license with the Cardinals.
• AJ Cassavell tries to predict Shields' future and estimate how big a contract he would be worth. His verdict of five years, $95 million seems really high to me. But I haven't run the numbers.
• In any case, Jon Paul Morosi is reporting that Shields will sign somewhere by the end of the week. Morosi has heard scuttlebutt about the Yankees and Padres being interested, but they may not be the only teams.
• Getting back to the Dodgers, Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow called Yasiel Puig (PUIG!) "young and dumb" for calling the Cardinals the biggest rival of the Dodgers. Krukow says Puig's comments will be bulletin board fodder for the Giants, but my opinion is if your team needs bulletin board fodder this time of year, your season is already lost. And of course it is for the Giants because it's an odd-numbered year.
• David Schoenfield thinks Krukow is being a big meanie.
• Former Giants great (well, for one big game anyway) Barry Zito is planning to come back after a year away from the game. He reportedly threw for teams yesterday.
• One guy who is not coming back is Zito's former teammate Mark Mulder, who says he "just couldn't get where I needed to be" in order to attempt a comeback.
• Andruw Jones wants to make a comeback after two years in Japan. David Schoenfield thinks Jones is finished as a major league player, but takes time to remember Jones' career. He thinks Jones was one of the best center fielders in recent memory.
• The Rockies signed Kyle Kendrick for one year, $5.5 million. What could possibly go wrong?
• Ubaldo Jimenez says his terrible 2014 was because of problems with his mechanics that he thinks he has straightened out for 2015. (h/t Hardball Talk)
• Mets GM Sandy Alderson thinks the Mets can improve by ten games in 2015. Because Michael Cuddyer is a 10 WAR player?
• We heard rumors of this last month, but Tim Rohan reports in the New York Times that the Mets are indeed charging their own players to attend workouts at their own spring training complex. It doesn't sound like the MLBPA is too happy about this.
• David Schoenfield asks "Who's better in 2015? Yankees or Mets?" Answer: Mets
• Schoenfield also asks "Who's better in 2015? Cubs or White Sox?" Answer: Cubs! I suppose the Dodgers and Angels are next on his list.
• Tom Verducci looks at the candidates for the "Verducci Effect" regression among pitchers. To be fair, Verducci calls it "The Year After Effect." It's everyone else that calls it "The Verducci Effect." Also, no one has been able to find any statistical evidence that it exists.
• Eno Sarris talks about what makes a great curveball.
• The Indians have a standing offer to Jason Giambi for a non-playing position. I guess only some steroids users are bad influences on the game and need to be shunned. Others, like Giambi, are just fine.
• Josh Hamilton will undergo shoulder surgery and miss six to eight weeks. He's questionable for Opening Day. Or any day, really.
• Giancarlo Stanton will wear a helmet with a face guard. Wise move.
• Dave Bergman, a member of the 1984 Tigers World Champions, has died at age 61.
• The Caribbean World Series is going on now. In an ESPN Insider article, Christopher Crawford scouts the Cuban National Team with an eye towards players with potential major league futures.
• Gabrielle Paese remembers the 1995 Puerto Rico Caribbean World Series team, which was called the "Dream Team." And the talent was pretty darn impressive. Roberto Alomar, Bernie Williams, Edgar Martinez, Juan Gonzalez and more.
• Steve Treder has a history of strikeout levels in baseball and yes, they're going up rapidly. He has some suggestions.
• Rob Neyer agrees that something will have to be done about strikeouts, but he doesn't have a solution at this time.
• Anthony Castrovince thinks the strike zone needs to be adjusted.
• Craig Calcaterra is outraged by major league caps in the colors of other teams. I guess this is a thing. Does anyone have a Cubs hat in the colors of a different team, like the Brewers or Cardinals?
• A radio station in Harrisburg, PA dropped their broadcasts of the Phillies in favor of the Nationals broadcasts. Ouch.
• Getting back to rivals and what Puig said, Will Leitch offers his opinion on who each team's top three rivals are. I can't argue with his selections for the Cubs, especially with the Mets rivalry all but dead now. I also think his point that the most-hated rival for Phillies fans is the Phillies is right on the money.
• And finally, this is a Cubs story, but I don't care. There's an Ernie Banks snowman in Galesburg. Let's have two snowball fights.

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