Tim Nieto Named Short-Season Rookie-Level Orem Manager

The Angels announced their Minor League coaching staffs on Friday, including the staff for Double-A Mobile in the club's first season in the organization.

Anaheim Official Site

York Signs Michael Wuertz For 2014 Season

Darrell Henry Twitter

Phillies, Cubs Interested In Michael Wuertz

The Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in right-handed pitcher Michael Wuertz, a source has confirmed to MLBDailyDish's Chris Cotillo. Wuertz is currently pitching for the Atlantic League's York Revolution, and can be purchased by any major league organization.

MLB Daily Dish

Aaron Bates Named To 2013 Atlantic League All-Star Team

Atlantic League Official Site

Pirates Sign Brian Esposito To Minors Deal

Baseball America

Marlins Option Zack Cox To Double-A

The Marlins also optioned lefty Scott Maine to Triple-A New Orleans. Right-hander Arquimendes Caminero, and third baseman Zack Cox were optioned to Double-A Jacksonville.

Marlin Maniac

Bullpen Trade Targets

Two weeks into the season, bullpen holes are appearing all over the place among the presumed contenders. The White Sox's closer situation has been so bad that Ozzie Guillen joked about calling Bobby Thigpen, the Yankees have lost left-handed setup man Pedro Feliciano for the season without seeing him throw a pitch in a major league game, the Rangers' strong start has masked the problems of their setup men and the Red Sox are scrambling for depth. Ryan Franklin, the Cardinals' closer, is off to a terrible start.

ESPN

Daric Barton, Coco Crisp Homer As Athletics Outslug Reds

The game's second batter, Daric Barton, got it going when he hit a 3-1 Leake pitch to left field for a solo homer. It was 2-0 in the third when the A's knocked Leake out with a five-run inning. Coco Crisp led off with a home run to center field and Kurt Suzuki later added a two-run double to the center-field wall.

Athletics Official Site

Daric Barton Slated To Return To Lineup Sunday

First baseman Daric Barton was tentatively slated to get back on the field in Cactus League action on Saturday, but the A's decided to give him one more day to recover from a right leg contusion suffered last weekend. He's penciled in for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Athletics Official Site

Cardinals Have Minor Interest In Jeremy Bonderman

2. Jeremy Bonderman, RHP, free agent — He still hopes to hook on to the end of a rotation somewhere. The Yankees have been in contact with Bonderman’s agents, and there’s minor interest from Texas and St. Louis. Bonderman made 29 starts last season for the Tigers but had a 5.53 ERA and an 8-10 record. He is only 28 and did not suffer any aftereffects from the blood clot in his shoulder that essentially took away almost two years of his career. But he just hasn’t returned to his previous form.

Boston Globe

Star Hurlers Adam Wainwright, Ben Sheets Lock Horns

A's right-hander Ben Sheets is trying to get back to being one of the best pitchers in baseball. Cardinals righty Adam Wainwright is already there.

MLB Game Day

Coco Crisp Won't Be Checked Until Early May

Outfielder Coco Crisp won't get his broken pinkie checked again until May 7, he said. There's no hurrying the healing process.

SF Gate

Shaky Bullpen Hitting Clubs Hard

Cardinals: Right-handed relief remains the team’s biggest question, though the bullpen pitched nine scoreless innings in Milwaukee before Kyle McClellan allowed Casey McGehee’s walk-off home run Sunday night.

Jason Motte, who allowed a walk-off homer in the Cardinals’ other loss, likely will assume a lesser role. Blake Hawksworth, coming off a poor spring, threw 95-96 mph in his first outing, and Mitchell Boggs gets into the upper 90s with movement.

Both Hawksworth and Boggs were starters in the minors; their expanded repertoires give them more weapons than Motte.

Fox Sports

Coco Crisp To Go On DL

Bob Geren just told CSN California that Coco Crisp has a fractured pinkie finger and is likely to open the season on the DL. Crisp had thought from looking at the X-ray himself that there was no fracture, so it must be of the hairline variety, which I suppose is good, although if the team is talking DL, it would keep him out a good 10 days.

SF Gate

Coco Crisp Expected Back In Athletics Lineup On Monday

Coco Crisp is slated to be back in the lineup tomorrow after having been diagnosed with a strained left hamstring March 10. He'll likely DH before making his first spring start in the outfield the next game.

Lee's Leftovers

Brett Tomko Reaches Out In In Time Of Tragedy

A's pitcher Brett Tomko can't even fathom the tragedy surrounding Brent King's family.

Tomko knows that good days have been few and far in between for them ever since Brent and his wife, Kelly, lost their teenage daughter Chelsea last month.

Athletics Official Site

Wagner Mateo Works Out For Athletics

The A's held a tryout for 17-year-old Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo on Tuesday, numerous sources told The Chronicle; Mateo hit against several pitchers, including Dallas Braden (who struck him out).

The Cardinals signed Mateo to a $3.1 million deal last year, but the contract was voided when he failed the physical. Mateo has tried out for several Cactus League teams and now is expected to try out in Florida before making any decisions.

SF Gate

Yet Another Pitching Metric

It’s been quite an offseason for pitching metrics. First, there was the controversy over the 2009 Cy Young award voting. Then there were some interesting discussions over the Christmas holidays at The Book Blog about FIP in response to the 10 questions asked by Mike Silva. Followed by Baseball Prospectus’ announcement of a new pitching metric called SIERA. Followed by even more discussions about SIERA and pitching metrics in general at both The Book Blog and BP.

The Hardball Times

Expanded Horizons: Best Non-Closers

For a certain type of completist, memorizing all the relievers that get roster spots by virtue of 13-man pitching staffs is the troublesome last mile. Any fantasy player worth his salt can rattle off nearly every team’s closer, even ones whose job security is questionable.

Baseball Prospectus

Cardinals Not Expected To Make Run For Felipe Lopez

The Cardinals aren't sure how much time Brendan Ryan will miss as his right wrist heals, but they aren't expected to sign Felipe Lopez or trade for a shortstop. Manager Tony La Russa loves Ryan, who won the job a year ago, and has Julio Lugo available if Ryan opens the year on the DL.

Chicago Tribune