Spring training is all about position battles and roster decisions, and the 2011 edition was no exception. Several veteran major leaguers suddenly found themselves without work, while top prospects earned chances to make meaningful contributions to their teams.
What were the surprise decisions? Which could turn out to have the most impact on the regular season to come? These are my 10 most notable roster moves of the spring.
10. Mariners add Michael Pineda to starting rotation: Keeping a top prospect in the minors to delay service time is an accepted practice for a non-contender like the Mariners. Pineda showed that he's hardly a finished product this spring, but manager Eric Wedge realized he can help the major league club now. With a 2.12 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 17 innings, the 22-year-old was an easy choice as a fifth starter over Luke French.
9. Twins make Scott Baker No. 5 starter, move Kevin Slowey to bullpen: After losing four relievers during the offseason, the Twins probably need relief help. Slowey could provide it, after being moved to the bullpen. But a 13-game winner who strikes out nearly seven batters per nine innings might also be able to fetch a more experienced reliever in trade.
8. Tigers name Will Rhymes second baseman: Manager Jim Leyland is in the last year of his contract and is expected to compete for a division title. If not for that, he may have been more patient with propsect Scott Sizemore. But Leyland knows what he's getting with Rhymes -- at least until Carlos Guillen recovers from knee surgery.
7. Cubs release Carlos Silva: The Cubs have a chance to compete for the NL Central title and couldn't afford to hope that Silva would pitch to major league standards. He popped off about the decision and it made the Cubs' subsequent move to release him outright even easier. If Andrew Cashner fulfills his potential in the fifth starter spot, this will look like the slam-dunk choice of the spring.
6. Red Sox keep Dennys Reyes, demote Hideki Okajima: Sending Okajima to the minors may be more about roster wiggle room (he has minor league options) than Dennys Reyes being a better left-handed reliever. But Okajima had the worst of his four seasons in Boston last year and posted a 5.14 ERA this spring. With Reyes and Alfredo Aceves waiting in the minors, and Reyes and Matt Albers making the team, the Red Sox have a deep bullpen.
4. Mets release Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez: It's hard to believe that Castillo couldn't have helped the Mets this year. But he and Oliver Perez had become hugely unpopular among Mets fans by not playing up to their big contracts (the two were owed a combined $18 million this season), and the team needed a clean break. But will Castillo's release help the division rival Phillies by providing a second baseman to fill in for Chase Utley?
3. White Sox name Brent Morel third baseman, move Mark Teahen to bench: It was Morel's job to lose, but he still won it by batting .313 this spring. Teahen batted .349, showing he deserved a spot on the team, but this was about defense at the hot corner. As the team's No. 9 hitter, Morel is expected to bring good glove, something Teahen ? who was signed to a three-year contract extension for some reason ? didn't have last season.
2. Yankees fill back end of rotation with Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia: Nova winning a job in the starting rotation prevents the Yankees from taking a chance on more than one over-the-hill veteran pitcher. Garcia, meanwhile, can still eat up innings, which every rotation needs. And that puts Bartolo Colon in the bullpen, which gives the Yankees a hard-throwing reliever.
1. Rangers keep Neftali Feliz in bullpen: Despite the arguable greater need in the team's starting rotation, the Rangers decided to keep Feliz in a role he excelled in last season. But if Derek Holland and/or Matt Harrison don't pitch well, the decision could be second-guessed throughout the year.
Ashley Greene April Scott Mia Kirshner Elisabeth Röhm Lily Allen
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