The Reds started off the early injury news with reports that left-handed reliever Bill Bray is being held back because of a sore shoulder. This comes as no shock to me. Bray is the only player from Krivsky’s Trade that has any hope of contributing something positive to the team. The Trade reeks so badly even these many years later, that its stench pervades everything directly in contact with it. I don’t see Bray ever panning out.

The Cubs’s Alfonso Soriano continues to have leg problems. There are reports that he’s only running at 75%. Granted, Soriano’s speed at 75% is more than most other humans, but this just might put a fork in his ridiculous idea that he’s a leadoff hitter. We’ll see.

In Cardinals-land, it looks like Matt Clement is the first to fall. He won’t be available until who knows when, and lboros isn’t happy about it. Apparently, the Cardinals, like so many clubs before them, like to mislead fans about how healthy players are.

The Brewers got into the injury fun, too, with Yovani Gallardo missing the first week or two of the season. Gallardo had surgery to repair knee cartilage this week. Looks like the Brewers’ rotation depth is going to get an early test since Gallardo was expected to be one of the locks for the top 5 after his wonderful rookie debut in 2007.

Despite all of the injuries, I think the Best Injury Award has to go to Houston’s Hunter Pence. Pence apparently was possessed by Evel Knievel and walked through a sliding glass door, suffering cuts on his hands and knees. Almost as humorous as when Sammy Sosa missed a week after a sneezing fit.

At this rate, how many players will be left standing by the time Opening Day rolls around? Perhaps this is the Pirates’ plan for competing in the division. I notice a conspicuous lack of injuries for them…

It was a quick podcast tonight, apparently to save time for the three posts that went up today. You can just feel the baseball in the air!

The formal agenda was the final arbitration update.

• The Astros defeated Valverde in arbitration, but have to wait a couple days to hear the decision for Mark Loretta’s case.
• The Brewers reached a one-year deal with shortstop J.J. Hardy for $2.65 million.
• The Reds signed Brandon Phillips to a 4-year, $27 million contract.

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Jon Heyman grades the offseasons of each of the Major League teams. How does our favorite division, the NLC, do? Not good.

The Cubs are the top of the division’s class at number 9 on Heyman’s list, due largely to the signing of Japanese import Kosuke Fukodome. I don’t know. I’ll believe that’s a good signing once I see him play.

The rest of the division was in the bottom third. The Brewers and Reds were numbers 20 and 21 respectively, with the Cardinals close behind at number 24.

The big news, I think is that the Pirates weren’t last in something. No, they were ranked 28th. The last place finish goes to the Houston Astros.

30. Astros. How does anyone get Tejada just hours before Mitchell takes the podium? Good grief. F

Good grief, indeed.

This week on the podcast, the Crack Technical Staff and I were feeling very mellow. Our smart alecry sounds a little weird in our Perry Como voices.

This week we talk to Reds history buff Jim Farmer about how some of the most widely held ideas about Reds history are false.

But before that, we discuss the little tidbits of news going on around the NLC.

Minor League Contract with Invite to Spring Training:

• Cardinals – OF Juan Gonzalez
• Pirates – Doug Mientkiewicz
• Astros – C Joshua Johnson
• Reds – Craig Wilson AND Kent Mercker

Also, the Brewers Picked Up Manager Ned Yost’s 2009 Option. w00t!

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Yes, you read that right: MLCWSTI. I told you last Sunday that there would be a quiz on this. No, it’s not a date in Roman numerals, or the bottom line on the chart you have to read when you renew your drivers’ license. It’s an acronym I invented specifically for RHM, and it stands for Minor League Contract With Spring Training Invitation. This is what major league teams do with a veteran player they want to sign on the cheap and have him join them in Arizona or Florida so the staff can see if he’s still got enough left in the tank to at least help the AAA team, or for a kid from the minors who they want to have hang around, act like a prospect, and chase down the fly balls that are hit by the real prospects.

Since it’s time for another look back at the NLC player transactions for the past week, I thought I’d just remind you what a MLCWSTI is before getting started. And now, let’s go to the tape…

The Cardinals kicked things off on Monday (2/04/08) by signing RHP Cliff Politte (a former Cardinal, born in old Saint Lou and now back home again after spending several years bouncing around with three other clubs), C Gabe Johnson, C Matt Pagnozzi (nephew of longtime Cardinal Tom Pagnozzi) and OF Juan Gonzalez to MLCWSTIs. Minor leaguers LHP Jaime Garcia, RHP Clayton Mortensen, RHP Adam Ottavino, RHP Chris Perez, RHP P.J. Walters, C Bryan Anderson (not the same Bryan Anderson the Reds had in the minors a few years back), C David Carpenter, C Nick Derba, C Brandon Yarbrough, 3B David Freese, OF Amaury Marti, OF Colby Rasmus and OF Nick Stavinoha were also invited to spring training.

For those of you who are keeping score at home, Leatherpants Vampire signed two more former Reds on Tuesday. Rob Bell was among several players signed to MLCWSTIs by the Nationals, as was former Reds farmhand Charlie Manning. Also on Tuesday:

• The Pirates inked IF Freddy Sanchez to a two-year contract with a club option for the 2010 season that could be worth about $19 million over those three years.
• The Brewers signed RHP Dave Bush to a one-year, $2.55 million contract, avoiding arbitration.
• The Reds signed veteran free agent RHP Mike Lincoln (a former Pirate and Cardinal) to a MLCWSTI.

On Wednesday, the Pirates first outrighted LHP Sean Burnett to Triple-A Indianapolis, and then signed him to a MLCWSTI.

On Thursday, the Astros signed C Joshua Johnson to a MLCWSTI.

On Friday, the Reds signed free agent LHP Kent Mercker to a MLCWSTI, and the Brewers (as previously reported here by my RHM colleague, Zeldink) in all likelihood extended their continuing also-ran status in the division for another year by exercising a club option on manager Ned Yost for the 2009 season.

Finally, the Reds provided the NLC transaction action for the weekend – and incidentally, insured that we could save the best for last this time around – with the signing of OF Craig Wilson (a former Pirate) to a MLCWSTI on Saturday. While some have interpreted this move as an indication that Joey Votto is soon to be gone in a rumored trade involving pitcher Joe Blanton of the Oakland A’s, I’m inclined to agree with what my RHM colleague BubbaFan opined here when first reporting the deal, namely, insurance. In case Votto struggles or gets hurt, Wilson becomes this year’s Jeff Conine, a righthanded hitter to provide power off the bench and platoon with Scott Hatteberg at first base. The only thing concerning this move about which I disagree with BF is that I was expecting this deal – last year!!!

🙄