Stephen Drew will likely miss Opening Day as he recovers from last summer’s ankle injury, and the Diamondbacks have started evaluating other long-term solutions at short. They’ve scouted Ian Desmond of the Nationals and could have interest in Cliff Pennington of the Athletics. Drew’s contract includes a $10MM mutual option for 2013, so replacing him isn’t a top priority just yet.
Scouts say Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley looks “exceptional” this spring.
The Cardinals could pursue free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt aggressively if Chris Carpenter isn’t ready for Opening Day.

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Athletics trade Trevor Cahill (and Craig Breslow) to the Diamondbacks for Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill, and Ryan Cook.
Padres trade Mat Latos to the Reds for Edinson Volquez, Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso, and Brad Boxberger.
Athletics trade Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals for Brad Peacock, A.J. Cole, Tom Milone, and Derek Norris.
Mariners trade Michael Pineda (and Jose Campos) to the Yankees for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi.

Each trade involved multiple young players going the other way, including at least one top 100 prospect according to Baseball America. Which team got the best return for their young hurler?

Which team received the best return for their young pitcher?

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Coco Crisp said he wouldn’t have re-signed with the Athletics had he known he was going to be moved to left field, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.  Yoenis Cespedes will start the year as Oakland’s center fielder, and Crisp said the promise of the center field job was one of the reasons he signed with the A’s over the Rays, who couldn’t promise Crisp regular time in center due to B.J. Upton’s presence.  Crisp did say that he was glad to be back with the A’s and, in regards to the position switch, says he has to “go out here and just accept it.”
The Rangers feel Leonys Martin needs more development and are “concerned about [his] lack of instincts,” tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, though the club still recognizes his talent.  The Cuban outfielder signed a five-year, $15.5MM deal with Texas last May and hit .295/.362/.421 in 343 minor league PAs, going all the way from rookie ball to an eight-plate appearance cup of coffee with the Rangers in September.
Hong-Chih Kuo was released earlier today by the Mariners, though if the southpaw clears waivers, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times believes the M’s could re-sign Kuo to a minor league contract.
Also from Condotta, the Mariners are still figuring out what to do with Lucas Luetge, a left-handed reliever taken from the Brewers in last winter’s Rule 5 draft.  Kuo’s release could help Luetge find a spot in the Mariners’ bullpen, though the M’s also have Charlie Furbush, Cesar Jimenez and George Sherrill competing for roles as left-handed relief options.
For some news about the Angels, check this compilation of Los Angeles Notes from earlier tonight on MLBTR.

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Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik “would love” to have Brent Lillibridge but knows the White Sox aren’t going to trade him, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Right-hander Deolis Guerra is the last player from the Johan Santana trade still with the Twins, and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune looks at how Guerra has revitalized his career after a move to the bullpen.
Felix Pie and Ryan Spilborghs can each opt out of their minor league contracts with the Indians on April 3, tweets MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.  Fred Lewis, another non-roster invitee, can opt out on June 1.
Brandon Inge is going through another year of change as he tries to hold onto his spot on the Tigers’ roster by moving to second base, writes Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
Andy Oliver’s struggles don’t make it any more likely that the Tigers will look outside the organization for a fifth starter, writes MLB.com’s Jason Beck.  Duane Below and Drew Smyly are still contenders for the job and the Nationals’ John Lannan, the most plausible trade candidate, may stay in Washington due to Chien-Ming Wang’s hamstring injury.

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Yasmani Grandal is happy that Padres teammate and fellow catcher Nick Hundley received a contract extension but isn’t worried that Hundley’s deal impacts his own future with the club, reports Dan Hayes of the North County Times.  “It doesn’t matter if somebody got a deal or not. You never know what could happen,” Grandal said.  “They could get traded or you could get traded. I’m not only playing for one organization. I’m playing for the 29 others that are out there. That’s one way I see it, and if it’s not meant to be it’s not meant to be. If I don’t make it to the big leagues with this club I can make it with any other team.”
Hundley’s reasonable contract could make him a strong trade candidate, opines Dave Cameron of Fangraphs, who the Padres could deal this summer if Grandal has a strong first half at Triple-A.
Felix Hernandez says he is asked about his future with the Mariners in almost every interview, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, and joked he might hang a banner reading “I’m not going anywhere” over his locker.
The Athletics are thus far very pleased with the four prospects (Tom Milone, Brad Peacock, A.J. Cole and Derek Norris) they received from the Nationals in the Gio Gonzalez trade, reports Jeff Fletcher for the Washington Times.
Matthew Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week’s minor league transactions.
Vernon Wells thinks the Blue Jays could make “exceptions” to their policy of not offering contracts longer than five years, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  Ironically, Wells’ seven-year, $126MM deal with Toronto in 2006 is no doubt a major reason why the current Jays management team has adopted this policy.
Some newly-hired bench bosses make FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal’s annual list of managers on the hot seat, including Ozzie Guillen and Bobby Valentine.

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Hisashi Iwakuma, SP: one year, $1.5MM. 
George Sherrill, RP: one year, $1.1MM.
Shawn Camp, RP: one year, $750K (later released). 
Hong-Chih Kuo, RP: one year, $500K (later released). 
Total spend: $3.85MM.

Notable Minor League Signings
Carlos Guillen, Brian Sweeney, Kevin Millwood, Oliver Perez, Aaron Heilman, Munenori Kawasaki, Luis Rodriguez, Matt Fox, Guillermo Quiroz, Sean Henn.
Trades and Claims

Acquired C/DH Jesus Montero and SP Hector Noesi for SP Michael Pineda and SP Jose Campos.
Acquired C John Jaso from the Rays for RP Josh Lueke.
Claimed RP Lucas Luetge from the Brewers in Rule 5 draft.

Notable Losses

Chris Gimenez, Jack Cust, Wily Mo Pena, Aaron Laffey, Adam Kennedy, Josh Bard, Jamey Wright, Pineda, Campos, Lueke.

The Mariners couldn’t do without offense any longer, even though it meant trading away one of their most valuable assets: 23-year-old right-hander Michael Pineda. The 6’5″ rookie had more strikeouts than innings pitched last year and remains under team control through 2016. Naturally, the Mariners were reluctant to give him up.
“I think a lot of clubs really try to hang onto the young players,” GM Jack Zduriencik said in January after the trade was announced. “They realize how good those players are for an organization.”
But Seattle, which finished last in the American League in runs scored in 2010 and 2011, had the opportunity to acquire Jesus Montero. Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he’s never traded a better player and scouts and prospect analysts agree that Montero will handle MLB pitching. Zduriencik said spacious Safeco Field won’t be an issue for the 22-year-old, who has an .867 OPS as a minor leaguer.
The trade between Zduriencik and Cashman highlighted a Mariners offseason that began tragically when 24-year-old outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death in November. Halman joined the Mariners’ organization as a 16-year-old and appeared in the Major Leagues in 2010 and 2011.
Zduriencik spent cautiously this winter, committing less than $4MM to players on guaranteed contracts. That didn’t stop the Mariners from obtaining veteran rotation depth in the form of Kevin Millwood and Japanese starter Hisashi Iwakuma (though the latter will begin the season in the ‘pen). Seattle’s front office believes newcomer Hector Noesi can start at the MLB level and he’ll begin his Mariners career in the rotation. Even after trading Pineda, the Mariners have top pitching prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker working their way through the minor leagues. For now, however, the Mariners’ rotation looks average, even with Hernandez leading the way.
The Mariners released David Aardsma this offseason and saw Jamey Wright sign with the Dodgers, but they added left-hander George Sherrill and right-handers Shawn Camp and Aaron Heilman, among others. Seattle’s bullpen doesn’t figure to dominate in 2012, especially if Brandon League gets traded this summer. But spending big on middle relievers doesn’t make sense for a non-contending club looking to lower payroll, so I like Zduriencik’s decision to add upside affordably.
The Mariners deflected the usual inquiries on Felix Hernandez — Zduriencik must have the script memorized by now — and League, but they did complete one trade besides the headliner, acquiring catcher John Jaso from the Rays for reliever Josh Lueke. Jaso’s left-handed swing, control of the strike zone and above-average on-base skills should complement Miguel Olivo nicely. Jaso’s presence also allows Montero to focus on his offense. The Mariners figure to ask him to catch here and there, but he’ll be in Eric Wedge’s lineup as the DH most days.
Bounce-back seasons from Ichiro, first baseman Justin Smoak and center fielder Franklin Gutierrez would help Seattle improve on last year’s 67-95 mark. But Gutierrez is out with a right pectoral injury and Ichiro won’t be leading off for the first time since 2001. The 38-year-old enters the final year of his contract with the knowledge that he’ll be removed from the leadoff spot, where he has played 1722 of his 1749 MLB games.
The Angels added the best player in baseball and the Rangers are arguably better on paper than they were in 2010 or 2011, so the Mariners don’t figure to contend in 2012. Their offense, while improved, still projects as below average. The 2009 Mariners won with tremendous run prevention and a weak offense, but don’t count on a repeat performance from this year’s team. Even though Zduriencik successfully added depth to the pitching staff plus a controllable young bat, the most likely outcome for the 2012 Mariners seems to be 70-75 wins and a third or fourth-place finish.

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The Cubs announced that they outrighted right-hander Andy Sonnanstine to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs now have 39 players on their 40-man roster. Sonnanstine signed with the Cubs in December after posting a 5.55 ERA with as many walks as strikeouts (12) in 35 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2011.
The Mariners announced that they outrighted left-hander Cesar Jimenez to Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners, who had placed the reliever on waivers earlier this week, now have three open spots on their 40-man roster. Jimenez, 27, pitched briefly with the Mariners last year and spent most of the season in the bullpen at Tacoma. He has missed considerable time with injuries in recent years.

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