Ron Gardenhire announced yesterday that the Twins will begin the season using a “closer-by-committee” approach with Joe Nathan out for the year following Tommy John elbow surgery: We are a committee. Our closer role is a committee. We’re going to try just about anything. I’ve never had to do it. It’s going to be an…

According to Jim Reeves of ESPNDallas.com the Rangers are “scouring other camps to try to find that right-handed hitting role player … to fill the role of backup first baseman/third baseman” and “keep coming back to” Mike Lowell. Reeves quotes a “club source” as saying that the Rangers “believe they can still basically get Lowell…

Between now and Opening Day, HBT will take a look at each of the 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2010 season.  Next up: The new-look Seattle Mariners The big question: Was the Mariners’ offseason all that it was cracked up to be? No,…

Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that Johnny Damon and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman “met for about 10 minutes behind the batting cage yesterday.” They reportedly cleared the air following unsuccessful offseason negotiations that saw Damon end up with the Tigers. In fact, according to Sherman “the two parted with a hug”…

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald passes along word that Gaby Sanchez has captured the Marlins’ starting first base job over top prospect Logan Morrison, who has been reassigned to minor league camp. Sanchez, 26, hit .409/.460/.659 this spring with 18 hits, five doubles, two home runs and five RBI in 44 at-bats while Morrison,…

Jake Westbrook may have missed the entire 2009 season due to Tommy John surgery, but that doesn’t mean he’s off the map in Cleveland.  The right-hander clinched a “Celebrity Bracket Challange” over the weekend hosted by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, beating out local VIPs like the Browns’ Josh Cribbs, the Cavaliers’ Mo Williams and Kosta Koufos,…

Between now and Opening Day, HBT will take a look at each of the 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2010 season.  Next up: The Texas Rangers The big question: Will the rotation hold up? When Nolan Ryan rode into town in 2008 and…

UPDATE: Guzman took the decision in stride and told Ladson that he is “willing to do anything the Nats ask of him.”  He will not demand a trade. SATURDAY, 10:41pm: MLB.com’s Bill Ladson passes along some refreshing news out of Nationals camp.  According to team sources, 24-year-old prospect Ian Desmond has captured the club’s Opening…

Vicente Padilla has been named the Opening Day starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that right-thinking baseball fans expect that it will be Clayton Kershaw who assumes the mantle of ace. The early evidence certainly is pointing in that direction. The 22-year-old left-hander dominated the Cincinnati…

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Athletics have reached agreement on a contract with free agent right-hander Chad Gaudin. The Yankees released Gaudin last week after he failed to win an uphill battle against Phil Gughes and Joba Chamberlain for the club’s final rotation spot.  The 26-year-old Gaudin went 6-10 with a 4.64 ERA,…

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes has now participated in four baseball-related workouts since having his overactive thyroid cleared by team doctors.  According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, he is now ready to step it up a notch. Reyes, 26, is expected to begin playing in minor league simulated games soon and the Mets…

UPDATE:  Baggarly hears that Cain’s salary will remain at $4.5 million this season, but jumps to around $8 million in 2011 and north of $15 million for 2012.  All things considered, it’s a great deal for the Giants. 3:38pm:  The San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman reports that it’s a three-year deal. Cain is getting a…

UPDATE:  Belisario spoke with ESPN Los Angeles on Sunday and explained his absence from camp: “I never missed an appointment,” he said. “They gave me appointments to go to after they said they were denying my visa. They told me to take exams and things, and I kept going twice a week. They just said…

Milton Bradley, awarded with the Mariners’ cleanup job this weekend according to the Associated Press, had this to say to the Chicago media before Sunday’s Cactus League game against the Cubs when asked for a short chat: “No chance. Beat it,” Bradley told the Chicago Tribune. “You guys ran me out of town. Never again.…

Braves phenom Jason Heyward was scratched from Sunday’s exhibition game against the Nationals due to shin splints in his left leg, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Dave O’Brien (via Twitter). Shin splints aren’t serious and won’t hold him out of regular season action, but anyone who’s dealt with the ailment knows how annoying it…

Hanley Ramirez won his first National League batting titled in 2009, compiling a career-high .342 batting average over 652 plate appearances.  He finished second in NL MVP voting behind Albert Pujols and just ahead of Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, but on Saturday got his own little piece of hardware. According to Joe Capozzi of the…

Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston heard from an insider source Saturday that the Red Sox will not give more than a four-year deal to right-handed starter Josh Beckett. It’s not shocking news.  The Red Sox dolled out a five-year, $82.5 million contract to John Lackey this offseason and a six-year, $52 million deal to Daisuke…

The Twins opened brand new Target Field Saturday with a college game between the University of Minnesota and Louisiana Tech. More than 37,757 showed up to take in the new ballpark, which features a massive fire pit in left field and several in-stadium bars and restaurants.  Stuart Groskreutz wrote a review of the place for…

Joba Chamberlain made his first relief appearance since being named a member of the Yankees’ bullpen — and not their starting rotation — during Saturday’s spring game against the Tigers.  He threw a scoreless inning, allowing two hits but also racking up a strikeout.  The 24-year-old had a 14.09 ERA and a 2.48 WHIP over…

According to Gregg Bell of the Associated Press, Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee underwent platelet-rich plasma injection therapy on his injured abdomen in Seattle this weekend. The procedure has been successful in helping athletes recover from ailments like tennis elbow and hamstring strains, but using it to help heal abdominal strains is mostly unheard of.  Lee…