Jeff Luhnow's Hiring Of Brent Strom A Game-Changer

The Astros had won the American League championship an hour or so earlier when general manager Jeff Luhnow happened upon his pitching coach, Brent Strom, in a hallway outside the home clubhouse at Minute Maid Park.

Houston Official Site

Who Will Trade For Cole Hamels -- If Anyone?

Every afternoon, Cole Hamels rolls into the clubhouse of the Philadelphia Phillies, just as he has for the past nine years. Except lately, the greeting from his teammates isn't the standard, "Hey, Cole." These days, it goes more like this:

ESPN

A-Advanced Rancho Cucamongo Placed Erick Bedard On Voluntary Retired List

Eric Stephen Twitter

Alex Reyes's Weakness Isn't That Strong

Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes is putting up some gaudy numbers in High-A Palm Beach. Through seven starts, the 20-year-old owns a sparkling 1.78 ERA and an equally sparkling 1.80 FIP. FIPs below 2.00 don’t come around all that often, even in the minors. In fact, Reyes’s mark is the lowest among qualified pitchers in the Florida State League.

Fangraphs

Veteran Rotation Options For Rays: Carlos Villanueva

Last offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays brought in veteran left-hander Erik Bedard to serve as rotation depth. His presence proved to be important after Alex Cobb, Matt Moore, and Jeremy Hellickson were out to begin the year. This season, however, the Rays signed no Bedard-esque arm, and that could seemingly go down as a mistake. After all, Drew Smyly is injured, Alex Colome was delayed by visa issues, and each of the Rays’ Triple-A starters has some problem.

Rays Colored Glasses

Braves Sign Dail Villanueva To Minors Deal

Baseball America

Dodgers Sign Erik Bedard To Minors Deal With Spring Invite

The Dodgers have signed veteran left-hander Erik Bedard to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Los Angeles Official Site

Rays Release Erik Bedard

Rays Prospects Twitter

Rays Designated Erik Bedard For An Assignment

Tampa Bay Official Twitter

Rays Move Erik Bedard To Bullpen

Bedard, who was scheduled to start Tuesday after lasting only two innings in his last outing, will head to the bullpen as the Rays will carry an extra pitcher, with INF Vince Belnome optioned to Triple-A Durham after Sunday's game.

Tampa Bay Times

Astros Offered Bud Norris

Bud Norris in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform?? Even though his career numbers against St. Louis leveled off the last couple of years and the organization was stocked up on young arms, more than a few Cardinals fans wondered about the idea after it became known last season the Houston Astros were shopping the right-hander. Apparently the Astros wondered about the idea too.

STL Baseball Weekly

Cardinals Watching Rays Closely

The Cardinals have been watching the Rays closely recently, the Giants and Dodgers (whom many around baseball consider the favorites for Price) at times. The Braves, especially after Gavin Floyd's injury, seem like a possibility, and maybe there's a surprise candidate, such as the Marlins, who also were scouting Price on Friday. Among other AL teams, the Angels, A's and Indians seem likely candidates.

Tampa Bay Times

Cardinals, Rays On Opposite Shutout Streaks

For the Cardinals and Rays, the last three games have brought trends from both ends of the spectrum. The Cardinals aren't allowing runs, and the Rays can't score them.

St. Louis Official Site

Rays Re-Sign Erik Bedard To Minors Deal

Bill Chastain Twitter

Rays Release Erik Bedard

Marc Topkin Twitter

Erik Bedard Expected To Opt Out With Rays

Chris Cotillo Twitter

Erik Bedard Would Rather Opt Out Than Report To Triple-A

Roger Mooney Twitter

Dr. Frank Jobe & What He Meant To Baseball

In 40 years Tommy John Surgery has gone from experimental to accepted. This post discusses the impact Dr. Jobe had on pitchers who underwent it.

Beyond The Boxscore

Cardinals Sign Catcher-Turned-Pitcher Steven De La Cruz

The 20-year-old Steven de la Cruz worked as a catcher in the Cubs system, batting a cumulative .213/.292/.277 in the Dominican Summer League in 2011 and ’12.

Baseball America

Rays To Sign Erik Bedard To Minors Deal

Marc Topkin Twitter