The Atlanta Braves completed a much needed shortstop switch after Wednesday's win over the Cardinals, demoting incumbent Tyler Pastornicky to AAA Gwinnett and promoting Andrelton Simmons from AA Mississippi to the majors. 

Pastornicky had struggled both offensively and defensively in the majors after winning the starting job in Spring Training. This year, he had just a .605 OPS, and was lately ceding one start a week to veteran Jack Wilson. Pastornicky's defense, never thought to be a particularly strong suit, was ghastly. His DRS for the year was -16, the worst mark in all of baseball at any position by far, and his UZR was -10, another terrible mark. The Braves just couldn't go on with it anymore.

Simmons is a magnificent defender, with ESPN's Keith Law ranking both his glove and arm as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale, and his speed as a 60. For the season in Mississippi, the 22 year-old Simmons had a .794 OPS, three homers, and ten stolen bases. The homers were part of a recent power surge, as all came in the last week. Simmons possesses solid plate discipline, walking and striking out 20 times apiece this year, but his pop is minimal overall.

Since the middle of 2010, the Braves have experienced a lot of insufficient production at shortstop after trading incumbent Yunel Escobar to the Blue Jays in July of that year, in exchange for Pastornicky and the starter for the rest of 2010 and all of 2011, Alex Gonzalez. Escobar has thrived in Toronto on both offense and defense, accruing 6.1 fWAR in 240 games in Toronto. Gonzalez and Pastornicky combined for just under one win (0.9 fWAR) during their time in Atlanta, which is a huge dropoff from Escobar, who had a contentious relationship with outgoing manager Bobby Cox. After nontendering second baseman Kelly Johnson following the 2009 season, and the lowball trade of Escobar, Atlanta's treatment of middle infielders has been questionable, especially when you throw the perhaps above market value for an aging Dan Uggla into the mix as well.

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Jamie Moyer's amazing comeback for the Rockies appears to be over, as the starter has been DFAed by the Rockies today. The news was first reported by Tracy Ringolsby of ROOT Sports Denver.

The 49 year-old Moyer was signed by the Rockies this offseason, recovering from Tommy John surgery a year ago. Shockingly, he made the team's rotation out of Spring Training, but was very mediocre in the regular season. Moyer had a 5.70 ERA this year (second highest of his career, second to only the 1991 season Moyer spent in St Louis), and struck out 36 while walking 18 in ten starts, totaling 53 2/3 innings. Playing in the thin air of Colorado, the home run troubles Moyer has had over his career (1.15 career homer rate) were spiked even more, allowing 1.84 per nine innings, the second-highest total of his career.

Moyer set a number of "oldest player" marks this year with the Rockies, most notably "oldest pitcher to win a game". If this is the end of his career, he'll finish with 269 wins, a 4.25 ERA, and a World Championship in 2008 with the Phillies. I really can't see any team making a play for Moyer in their rotation at this stage in his career, so this is likely it for him.

Colorado's rotation has been pretty awful this year, with only Juan Nicasio being worth at least one win above replacement. New acquistion Jeremy Guthrie has flopped in the mountains, while established starter Jhoulys Chacin has also been a disappointment. Youngsters Alex White and Drew Pomeranz have also had substantial difficulties, but Christian Friedrich has looked good in his four starts. Whatever the Rockies do, it will likely be a trying rest of the season for them, because this pitching staff doesn't look like they're going to get anything done, with or without Moyer. It only makes sense for them to go in a younger direction at this point in time.

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Remember Doug Fister's pulled side muscle in April? Well, it's back. Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Tigers have placed Fister on the 15-day DL, retroactive to yesterday, with a strained muscle in his left side. Fister started for the Tigers on Monday in Boston, and got hammered, allowing six runs on 11 hits in five innings. He didn't have a win in the five starts he made since coming off the DL on May 7th, pitching to a 3.52 ERA with a 21:7 strikeout to walk ratio.

Where does this leave the Tigers? Well, when Fister went out for the first time, the Tigers turned to Adam Wilk. Wilk made three starts, and had an 8.18 ERA in 11 innings. To be fair, six of those runs came in two innings in his final start against the Mariners of all teams. Wilk also got shelled for 21 hits over those 11 innings, striking out seven and walking three. Since returning to AAA Toledo, Wilk has a 3.79 ERA in six starts, throwing 38 innings while striking out 27 and walking eight. 

Based on what the rest of the rotation looks like in Toledo, Wilk looks like the best option. Prospects Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner continue to struggle, and while Wilk isn't setting the world on fire, there's probably less disaster potential with him than Oliver (43 walks in 52 2/3 innings) or Turner (only three AAA starts on the season after starting the year in the FSL). 

An injury to Fister isn't what the doctor ordered right now for the Tigers, with the relative struggles of Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello. At only 4.5 out in the weak AL Central, it's not doom and gloom time for the Tigers, but making a comeback without Fister is more difficult than doing it with him.

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UPDATE: It's been reported that Casey Crosby will be called up on Friday to make his major league debut against the Yankees. In nine starts this since at Toledo, Crosby has thrown 50 2/3 innings, with a 4.26 ERA, 57 strikeouts, and 26 walks. Seems like a solid enough move, considering that in his last start against Pawtucket, he allowed three runs over seven innings, walking one and striking out ten.

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It's so very easy to get lost in the numbers and endless online analysis. It's easy to forget that the minor leagues are about more than just production, they're also about development on and off the field. While players don't face nearly as much media scrutiny at the minor league level as they do in the big leagues, they are certainly subjected to the awesome quirkiness that is minor league baseball. 

Unique promotions and in-between inning on-field games are an ingrained part of the minor league mantra and the players, though sometimes reluctantly so, are part of the fun. Earlier this season, the Visalia Rawhide held their second annual "Belle of the Ballpark" contest. During the game, the contestants - all women at least 65 years or older - would compete in several in-between inning events such as a cheek pinching contest and a white t-shirt contest. Helping out with these games were none other than two of the Diamondback's top pitching prospects: David Holmberg (pictured) and Andrew Charin. While it seems that most players would just as soon remain in the dugout, being a part of this type of fan entertainment helps to remind the players that the game of baseball is about the fans. After all, these players are being paid to play a game. After the cheek pinching contest, both Holmberg and Chafin were welcomed by their teammates back to the dugout with some more playful cheek pinching and a lot of laughs.

A simple, yet necessary reminder that this is still a child's game.

Sometimes, players actually want to be involved with the quirky bus league promotions. In Lake Elsinore (High-A affiliate of the Padres), teams seem more than happy to participate in the Grounds Crew Gorilla routine, in which the visitors get to beat the lovable gorilla with Styrofoam sticks.

Then, there are those players who are willing to go above and beyond; as in those players willing to milk a cow and then drink said milk, as is the case on Dairy Day, an annual promotion of the Visalia Rawhide.

Of course, not all participation is fun, or easy.

Part of being a minor league baseball player is giving back to the community. Sometimes that means visiting a hospital or making a service club appearance, Sometimes, it means facing your fears and speaking in front of hundreds of elementary school students.

Andrew Chafin, who just happens to be the minor league leader in strikeouts with 77 in 58.2 innings, stood alongside teammate Bo Schultz in front of a few hundred elementary students to talk about making good decisions and being a leader rather than a follower. Chafin, a dominant bulldog on the mound, but a somewhat reserved character off the field, said me after speaking briefly in front of the kids, "I'm literally shaking right now...I'm fine pitching in front of 20,000 people, but this is nerve-racking." There I was, standing next to one of the nastiest pitchers in minor league baseball, a guy who has a chance to develop into a two or three starter in the big leagues, and his knees are shaking from talking in front of a group of children much like his slider makes the knees of his opponents shake in awe of it's sharp bite.

It's part of the process, part of the character development of each and every one of these players. As they head toward the big leagues, it doesn't get any easier. Not only dot the crowds get bigger, but the social demands do as well.

The minor leagues are about so much more than just a pitcher developing his offspeed stuff, or a hitter smoothing out his swing. It takes mental strength to sustain a big league career. It takes the ability to not only grind through a 162-game season, but to also grind through the demands of the media and community. It also helps to find those precious moments that remind all of us that baseball is a game; a child's game. A fun game.

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The story of the first third of the MLB season was the Baltimore Orioles, and their run to the top of the AL East. Well...that story is slowly turning to dust. The Orioles have lost four in a row, ar 3-7 in their last ten, and their run differential is down to +11, worst in the AL East. Baltimore's schedule gets tougher over the next week and a half, as they travel to Tampa Bay, Boston, and then host the Phillies. The Orioles need to flip a switch and keep their magic from the first two months rolling along to stay relevant in this race.

Game of the Night: Twins 3, A's 2. This kind of wins by default, as there really weren't a lot of exciting games last night. Jarrod Parker shut out the Twins for six innings, and Cole DeVries did the same over five innings for the Twins (albeit with five walks and one strikeout). The A's used a pair of RBI singles from Collin Cowgill (in the 7th) and Coco Crisp (in the 8th) to take a 2-0 lead. Brian Fuentes came in for the ninth, allowed the first two runners to reach, got an out, and fell just short of getting a game-ending double play from Joe Mauer. Then, Josh Willingham homered to give the Twins a walkoff win, and give the A's a heartbreaking loss.

Pitching Lines of the Night: Homer Bailey threw a complete game against the Pirates, giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out five. I mean, it's just the Pirates offense, but still. Anibal Sanchez allowed one unearned run over seven against the Nationals, giving up three hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Not much else going on in the way of good pitching.

Hitting Lines of the Night: Adam Jones of the Orioles went 3/3 with three runs, three RBI, two walks, and two homers. Not a bad way to celebrate a new contract. Yadier Molina of the Cardinals went 4/4 with three RBI and a homer. David Ortiz went 3/4 with two runs, two RBI, two doubles, and a homer.

Spotlight Series: The White Sox are looking for a sweep today, after a 7-2 win in Tampa Bay last night. Phil Humber got his first win since his perfect game, allowing two runs over seven innings, walking one and striking out five. James Shields got a little unlucky for the Rays, giving up six runs (five earned) on ten hits, walking just one with eight strikeouts. The lone offensive highlight for the Rays came in the fourth, when Hideki Matsui hit a two-run homer in his Rays debut to give them their only runs of the night. For the White Sox, Dayan Viciedo went 3/4 with three runs, two RBI, and a homer to lead their offensive charge.

Other Games: The Red Sox beat Justin Verlander and the Tigers 6-3, and are now a game above .500. The Cubs now have a winning streak after beating the Padres 5-3. The Royals crushed the Indians 8-2. The Reds and Bailey shut down the Pirates 8-1. The Blue Jays withstood an Orioles comeback and hung on to win 8-6. The Braves ended their losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Cardinals. The Mets beat the Phillies 6-3 as the Jeremy Hefner show took center stage. The Mariners beat up Scott Feldman and the Rangers 10-3, and that Roy Oswalt signing looks pretty good right now. The Marlins knocked off the Nationals 3-1. Matt Kemp is back for the Dodgers, but the Brewers spoiled his homecoming with a 2-1 win. The Angels are above .500 after defeating the Yankees 5-1. The Giants beat the Diamondbacks 3-1 as Melky Cabrera continues his miraculous season.

Today's Games: The still-winless Ryan Dempster goes for the Cubs against the awful Padres. Johnny Cueto takes on AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh. Francisco Liriano is back in the Twins rotaiton, as they take on the A's. Kyle Lohse takes on Tim Hudson, as the Braves look to take another series from the Cardinals. Jason Hammel vs Brandon Morrow is a great-looking matchup in Toronto. Josh Johnson starts for the Marlins against Chien-Ming Wang, taking over for Ross Detweiler in the Nationals rotation. Yovani Gallardo and Clayton Kershaw go at it in LA. Ian Kennedy and Tim Lincecum will duel in San Francisco.

Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.

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The Los Angeles Angels have placed starting pitcher Jered Weaver on the 15-day DL, with a strained muscle in his back. The news was initially recanted by the Angels Twitter account, but a second tweet confirmed that Weaver would be heading to the DL, and that Garrett Richards would be replacing Weaver on the roster.

Weaver initially injured his back last night in the first inning against the Yankees. After throwing a ptich to Robinson Cano, Weaver winced in pain and walked off the mound, and was removed from the game. Weaver has been the Angels best pitcher this season, starting 11 games and throwing 69 innings, striking out 57 and walking 15. Weaver threw a no-hitter against the Twins on May 2nd, and was last season's runner-up in the AL Cy Young voting.

Weaver has been a model of consistency for the Angels, and has started at least 30 games over the last six seasons, with 2006 and 2007 having some starts in the minor leagues in addition to major league starts to reach the 30 start plateau. The 29 year-old was given a five year, $85 million extension last summer which will keep him with the Angels until 2016.

Richards, who it appears will be Weaver's immediate replacement in the Angels' rotation, won't be able to match his production. Last season, Richards made three starts over seven games in the majors, striking out nine while walking seven over just 14 innings. This season in AAA Salt Lake, Richards has made ten starts and thrown 56 1/3 innings, striking out 48 and walking 29. He's not overly great, and the Angels are probably just hoping for him to keep them in games until Weaver is back, which hopefully, will be sooner rather than later.

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The Texas Rangers have agreed to a contract with free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Oswalt just turned down a deal from the Rangers over the weekend, and the club must have restructured their offer to make it more appealing to Oswalt.

I had the Rangers as a 4:3 favorite to sign Oswalt earlier this afternoon, and the favorite comes out on top. Oswalt isn't expected to jump right into the Rangers rotation, and will more than likely make a few minor league starts before joining the team. The situation is similar to Andy Pettite's signing with the Yankees, who was signed in mid-April and made four rehab starts before joining the major league rotation. Based on that timeframe, Oswalt could be ready to join the Rangers rotation in mid-June.

Oswalt's signing is a huge blow to the Phillies, who just lost Roy Halladay for 6-8 weeks with a strained lat. The Phillies will now need to make do with internal options as opposed to a veteran who is familiar with the team.

As for Oswalt fitting in with the Rangers, I assume he'll be earmarked for the rotation spot currently held by Scott Feldman. But Feldman was taking Neftali Feliz's rotation spot, who is currently on the DL with an inflamed elbow. Could the Oswalt signing push Feliz to the bullpen, where he spent his entire career prior to this season? It's certainly a possibility, but the Rangers bullpen is quite strong right now, and the addition of Feliz doesn't seem like a necessity The rest of the Rangers rotation is pitching well, but do Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, or Matt Harrison have a higher ceiling than Feliz? I don't think anyone would argue that point, but all are experienced starters who have pitched well for the Rangers.

Oswalt's signing definitely makes the Rangers a better team, but it will likely create some more questions down the road. With the Angels heating up in the AL West, the Rangers probably wanted to nip them in the bud and continue their reign at the top of the division.

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UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal has just reported that the deal is for between $5 and $6 million.

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The Philadelphia Phllies have placed starting pitcher Roy Halladay on the 15-day DL with a strained right lat muscle, and he will be out for six to eight weeks. That would put him out of commission for the Phillies until mid to late July, which is absolutely not what this team needed at this point in time. Halladay left Saturday's start against the Cardinals in the first inning after experiencing soreness in his shoulder.

This is bad for the Phillies...very bad. Vance Worley is already out with elbow soreness, but threw a bullpen session today, and experienced no pain. Worley's visit with Dr James Andrews went well, and he won't need Tommy John surgery (well, yet).

But Worley isn't ready to go yet, and the Phillies are going to need to replace Halladay. One option is Roy Oswalt, whose odds I handicapped at signing with the Phillies (and five other teams) earlier today. The options to replace Halladay in AAA Lehigh Valley are largely veteran sludge that can't succeed in the majors (Dave Bush, Pat Misch, Scott Elarton), but top prospect Tyler Cloyd is at the level, and pitching pretty well (2.15 ERA, 29 K, 10 BB at Lehigh Valley, 1.80 ERA, 3 BB, 20 K at Reading), and the 25 year-old is the most logical in-house option to take Halladay's rotation spot until Worley is ready to return.

Whatever ends up happening with the Phillies, this is not the news they wanted to hear. Of their "three aces", only Cole Hamels has remained healthy...and he's the only one not under contract for next year. Halladay joins fellow high-priced Phillies Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on the DL this year.

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Former Tigers and White Sox outfielder Magglio Ordonez will be retiring on Sunday, during "Magglio Ordonez Day" at Comerica Park when the Tigers host the Yankees.

Ordonez has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons, playing in fewer than 100 games in each after injuring his ankle. He re-fractured the ankle in the playoffs this past year, and made the decision to call it quits. Ordonez split his career between AL Central rivals Chicago and Detroit, and was the runner-up for the AL MVP in 2007 when he lead the league with a .363 batting average for the Tigers. That 2007 season was by far the best of his career, totalling 8.1 fWAR. After leaving Chicago after the 2004 season, Ordonez's power dropped significantly, as he never hit 30 homers in a season again after doing it for four straight years in Chicago.

Ordonez was also paid very well over his career, making over $133 million despite having just one superstar season. Aside from 2007, his Detroit career was largely a disappointment, with that 8.1 fWAR season having more value than all of his other seasons in Detroit combined. Ordonez was a member of the 2006 AL Champion Tigers, and hit .309 for his career.

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Roy Oswalt's name is coming up more and more among clubs who are short on pitching depth. A number of teams have been linked to Oswalt, from the favorites (Rangers, Phillies, Red Sox) to the more surprising candidates (Dodgers, Orioles, Brewers). Oswalt has thrown for the three favorites as well as the Dodgers in recent weeks, and we seem to be getting close to a decision. Of the six teams involved, the prevailing logic appears to be that the Rangers are the favorite for Oswalt's services. But what about the other teams?

Rangers- 4:3 odds. The Rangers seem to make the most sense for Oswalt from a practical standpoint. Their home in Dallas is (relatively) close to Oswalt's home in Mississippi, they're a solid contender (in fact, the best team in the American League), and they have an opening in their rotation after Neftali Feliz was placed on the DL last week. Feliz's replacement in the rotation, Scott Feldman, was awful in his first turn in the Feliz's spot in the rotation last week against the Mariners (4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 BB, 1 K). Feldman starts tonight against the Mariners again, and if he struggles against their weak offense once again, the need for a different arm in the rotation will grow even stronger. But what throws me off would be what the Rangers would do with Feliz once he returns if they sign Oswalt. There is absolutely not a need for him in Texas's lights out bullpen, and the rest of the Rangers rotation is pitching marginally well thusfar this yaer.

Dodgers- 4:1 odds. The Dodgers pitching staff this year has been led by Clayton Kershaw, who has been his usual awesome self, and Chris Capuano, who is having a career year so far. Ted Lilly just went on the DL with shoulder inflammation, and will be replaced by rookie Nathan Eovaldi, who had a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings in AAA Chattanooga this year. During a brief stint in the majors last year, Eovaldi struck out 23 while walking 20, and the Dodgers can't have a performance like that this time around. LA's other two starters, Chad Billingsley and Aaron Harang, have been effective, but underwhelming. The Dodgers look like they should coast to a NL West title this year, and really should be focusing on tweaking their team for playoff success. The addition of Oswalt to an already veteran rotation would do nothing but help.

Phillies- 6:1 odds. Philadelphia's need for Oswalt will grow exponentially if the news that comes back on Roy Halladay's shoulder isn't good. The Phillies currently are without Vance Worley in their rotation, and Halladay could join him soon on the DL after leavnig Saturday's game without recording an out due to shoulder soreness. The Phillies can make do with Kyle Kendrick replacing Worley in the rotation, but replacing Halladay would be a much taller task. A veteran like Oswalt could be just what fits the bill for the Phillies. 

Red Sox- 12:1 odds. I'm not sure Oswalt would want to join the dysfunctional atmosphere in the Boston clubhouse, but man, they could really use him. Boston's best starter has been young Felix Doubront, and while Josh Beckett has been fine, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and Daniel Bard have all been disappointments so far. Oswalt might perform very well for the Red Sox, but I don't think the front office would be too hot for bringing in another free agent starter to potentially solve the starting pitching problems for half a season. It's like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

Orioles- 20:1 odds. I really don't think Oswalt would have any desire to go to Baltimore, a team that has pretty much been a non-contender for the last 15 years. But the Orioles are currently in a tie for first place in the AL East, and playing some really good ball. But at the same time, I don't think that owner Peter Angelos would give GM Dan Duquette the OK to open up the wallet and dedicate the necessary funds to signing Oswalt. On another note, I really don't think he fits in with their long-term plan. While Oswalt would be a massive improvement over Tommy Hunter in Baltimore's rotation, he's 34 years old. The oldest Orioles starter is 29. Baltimore is trying to build a foundation, not trying to get to the playoffs for one year, and then fall back to the bottom of the pack.

Brewers- 100:1 odds. I wasn't surprised that the Brewers were interested in Oswalt...but I was surprised that they think they'd have any shot at him. The Brewers are eight games under .500 and seven games out of the NL Central lead right now, and the team continues to get ravaged with injuries. I also understand the logic of trying to make a run before Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke hit free agency. Three Opening Day starters are currently hurt, two of whom will be out for the year with torn ACLs. Surrounding Ryan Braun with a fantastic core of players is obviously the plan, but the Brewers are just having every break go against them this year, and Oswalt wouldn't help enough for Milwaukee to return to the postseason.

In summary: even if Oswalt turned down the first offer from the Rangers, expect him to end up there after all is said and done. It just makes the most sense right now.

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