Kevin Gregg Opts Out With Mariners

Long-time major leaguer Kevin Gregg opted out of his contract with the Rainiers so he’s no longer on the club.

Rainers Curto

Mariners Sign Kevin Gregg To Minors Deal

Ryan Divish Twitter

Reds Designate Kevin Gregg For An Assignment

Cincinnati Official Twitter

Carlos Villanueva Neutralizes Reds In Extra Innings To Preserve Win

Carlos Villanueva wasn't sure how long he could keep pitching Sunday. Thanks to Matt Carpenter, he didn't have to find out.

St. Louis Official Site

Know Your Enemy: Sizing Up The Cardinals' NL Central Rivals

Oddsmakers and experts agree: The Cardinals once again enter spring training as the team to beat in the NL Central.

Fox Sports Midwest

Reds Sign Kevin Gregg To Minors Deal With Spring Invite

Cincinnati Official Twitter

Kevin Gregg To Showcase For Roughly 15 Teams In Arizona On Tuesday

Joel Sherman Twitter

Justin Masterson Receiving Interest, But No Offers

I suggested a few Sundays ago that the Cincinnati Reds should approach free agent Justin Masterson with the idea of turning him into a power reliever. According to a source, that hasn’t happened – nor has any team approached him with that in mind. If it were to happen, Masterson wouldn’t be interested. The big righty’s inconsistencies can be attributed to minor injuries, and he’s expected to be fully healthy in 2015. To this point in time, Masterson has received several inquiries but no formal offers.

Fangraphs

Rafael Furcal Has Not Resumed Baseball Activities

Derek Dietrich (right wrist strain) and Rafael Furcal (groin) also continue to mend on the DL. Neither has resumed baseball activities, Redmond said.

Miami Herald

Rafael Furcal Hopes To Return In Less Than Six Weeks

Marlins second baseman Rafael Furcal said Tuesday he could return from a Grade 3 left hamstring strain in early August. The 36-year-old was diagnosed with the injury and placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 22 with no timetable for his return.

Miami Official Site

MLB Trade Market Could Be Sluggish

The annual MLB Draft is over, so now it's time for the general managers to check the standings, review their rosters, and begin filling out a shopping list for the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Bonus Bytes

Cardinals Release Fernando Gonzalez

Baseball America

Marlins Sign Kevin Gregg To Minors Deal

Ken Rosenthal Twitter

Kevin Gregg Awaiting Closer Call

It was right about this time last year that the Cubs finally got their closer situation under control and stabilized the back end of their bullpen.

Chicago Sun-Times

Anything But The Cellar Would Be A Surprise For The Cubs

Now in the third winter of the Theo Epstein era, the Chicago Cubs continue to focus on 2015 and beyond at the expense of the immediate future. Given a five-year contract to right the franchise, Epstein has shown no interest in taking shortcuts even after finishing fifth and losing 197 games in his first two seasons.

Fox Sports Midwest

Mets Did Meet With Agents Of John Axford & Kevin Gregg

To that end, Alderson met with the agent for relievers John Axford and Kevin Gregg on Wednesday night. After losing the durable and influential LaTroy Hawkins to Colorado, the Mets need veterans Axford to supplement their organizational pitching depth, which offers potential, but no certainty; over the past year alone, prospects like Jeurys Familia and Gonzalez Germen have stumbled in attempts to help in the late innings.

NY Daily News

Scot Boras, Jeff Wilpon Discuss Stephen Drew

If the Mets still have any significant dollars left to spend, baseball’s top agent has an “astronaut” he wouldn’t mind selling to them.

NY Post

Mets To Meet With Agents For John Axford, Kevin Gregg

Jim Duquette Twitter

Trade Helps Orioles Free Up Money To Possibly Pursue Edward Mujica, John Axford, & Carlos Beltran

While the Orioles' trade of closer Jim Johnson late Monday night immediately offered more questions than answers about the club's direction this offseason, executive vice president Dan Duquette insisted Tuesday that the deal can't truly be evaluated for the next several weeks.

York Dispatch

No Clear Leader In Edward Mujica Sweepstakes

Cardinals setup man Edward Mujica is the prize, apparently, for at least the Orioles, Indians, Cubs, and Phillies. But recent updates on the reliever's future signing plans indicate that none of the four reported contenders for his services stand out among the others.

Philly