vab

A clinic in pitching to contact.

Kimbrel to the IL will be one of the moves - probably today. Not sure about the other one

I don't think they're going to go through all the machinations of acquiring a Pillar or a Hicks and DFA-ing a McKenna then DFA-ing Pillar or Hicks when Hays comes back in, what, a week or two?

Did tonight

I live about 20-30 minutes from Harbor Park so I made my first trip of the year. I didn't even know Means was pitching until yesterday, I wanted to see Holliday and Mayo (who went deep). He looked like Means - fastball was probably 90-92, had the good changeup going, good breaking stuff. Very little hard contact, a lot of pop-ups, just a couple of deeper flies in the last inning or two. I think he's certainly ready.

A hot team is who you want coming in because they're due too cool off. It's the cold teams I'm scared of.

Anybody want to reconsider on this?

Man that Oakland bullpen looks good. Let's make a deal.

Fastballs looked ok. Trout got one but it's Trout. It was the breaking balls that were getting obliterated, just kept hanging them right down the middle. Hopefully just a bad one.

I think a big part of Holliday's struggles that nobody has really mentioned is all the hype. The kid's got to be really pressing at this point with everyone looking at him and wondering what's going on even if he's not really showing it. He obviously has dominated at every level of the minors but I think just getting away from all the eyeballs at the major league level will help him immensely. G-Rod had nothing to prove in the minors but you saw the difference when he came back. Same with Cowser.

I don't see a reliever fitting the description in the OP being available but if they were I'd probably do it. Kjerstad could be a great bat but very limited defensively and I have no doubt Elias & Co. will keep that position player prospect pipeline (say that three times fast) filled. Beavers is already at double-A looking great.

I don't think you'll see these prospects shoe-horned onto the roster just because they're too good for triple-A. The thing to do is either trade them or trade someone currently on the roster to free up a spot. Of course, you need a partner for a trade and nobody's ready to pack it in three weeks into the season but we'll get there. Seattle, Miami and Cleveland look like potential trade partners for pitching help.

Brewers just doing it all. Hitting with power, playing small ball - got to give them credit.