Now that we’re a few weeks in the season, I’m going to review the play of five players that either have exceeded achievements or underachieved. There will be a few shockers, so buckle up and get ready.

John Buck- Let’s be honest: Nobody saw this coming! After having an abysmal season with the Miami Marlins, Buck has nine home runs and 27 RBIs in his first month as a New York Met. You have to wonder if this is a reincarnation of Rod Barajas’ 2010 start or legit.

Knowing Buck’s 32 and is in the declining phase of his career, you’re better off trading him. The catcher’s only broke a .250 average once in his career, but looks good against breaking balls this season, showing patience we’ve never seen from him before. His 2010 season is just an outlier.

The Mets acquired Buck to mentor their highly-touted prospect Travis d’Arnaud, and that’s it. They’re only riding Buck while he’s hot before his normal numbers start to kick in. I mean recently we’ve seen a drop in batting average, so trade while you can.

B.J. Upton- Upton’s known to be a streaky hitter, whether it’d be for the better or worse. While his consistency can be an issue, stolen bases are a guarantee.

Unfortunately, I don’t see him getting any better. In the past week and a half, he’s batting 4-for-40 with just one home run. His brother Justin, who’s on the same team, is batting .299 with 12 home runs so far this year. It’s like a tale of two cities, but B.J. facing “the worst of times.”

I never liked B.J. that much in the first place. You can make cases for people who are guarantees at certain categories, but are they worth the risk of diminishing the overall value on your team? The same cause goes for a player like Danny Espinosa, where you might get 20 home runs and stolen bases, but in the end, that’s all they can do. Sell now.

Martin Prado- The man of many positions and high average had a very shaky April. Playing in one of the most hitter-friendly parks, you wouldn’t expect a consistent hitter like Prado to bat .225 in these conditions.

Which is why I’m saying you should try and buy low right now. The first sign as to positive things to come is Kirk Gibson’s willingness to move Prado around the lineup instead of benching him. Confidence from a manager is always key. Along with that, people who are consistent .300 hitters eventually hit their stride.

Maybe playing for a new team has him getting first month jitters. Or a swinging adjustment is in order. Bottom-line is don’t worry about Prado. He’ll be just fine. But now’s a great time to acquire him.

Chase Utley- When Utley’s healthy, he’s one of the best second baseman in the game. The 34-year-old  Phillie is batting .282 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. He seems to be healthy for the first time in years.

But there’s a problem with this: He’s never healthy. While I’m happy Utley’s been able to stay on the diamond, history just shows me this won’t last for long. He hasn’t played more than 115 games in a season the last three seasons, and has a low line drive rate this season.

He’s playing lucky to this point, and luck rarely lasts 162 games. If he was younger, there’d be a better chance he’d survive. But Utley’s 34, and his best and healthy days are long behind him.

Tony Cingrani- Not bad for a Johnny Cueto replacement, eh? In his first three starts, Cingrani has only allowed three earned runs on 12 hits in 18 innings. Not to forget that he’s also struck out 28 batters as well.

While this leaves Dusty Baker with a tough decision when Cueto comes back, I can see them giving Cingrani Mike Leake’s rotation spot. I know he’s pitched against some pretty mediocre offenses, but the six inning shutout against the Washington Nationals should silence any of that talk. He might not have any dominant pitches, yet the location of them have been key to his early success.

If he hasn’t been picked up in free agency or waivers, claim him immediately. He’s young, wise, and has the command to be a solid pitcher for years to come. His success isn’t a fluke.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

For those who celebrate it, happy Easter! But for any baseball fanatics like myself, today is a day we’ll rejoice, as the season is underway. Before we start the year, we “close” with the closer rankings. These will be short and sweet so you don’t have to read any jargon.

1. Craig Kimbrel- This dude has some cold veins let me tell you. When the ninth inning comes around, you know Kimbrel’s going to deliver. So far in his young career, the 24-year-old has a lifetime 1.46 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 88 saves. You don’t have to worry about any other Brave taking save chances unless Kimbrel has been out there for three straight days beforehand. When it’s appropriate to draft closers, Kimbrel will be the first one off the board. Projections: 2-1, 1.04 ERA, 42 SV, 0.92 WHIP, 110 K

2. Jonathan Papelbon- After cashing in via free agency, Papelbon delivered in his first year with Philadelphia. He saved 38 games with a 2.44 ERA and surpassed 70 innings for the first time in his career. Given there have been some clutch moments where he’s choked, during the regular season he’s one of the best closers in the game. Projections: 3-5, 2.33 ERA, 38 SV, 1.04 WHIP, 90 K

3. Fernando Rodney- It’s time to move your cap to the side everyone. Rodney took advantage of Kyle Farnsworth’s injury last season and surprised everyone (including myself), finally being able to control his pitches. The result? An 0.60 ERA with 48 saves in 74.2 innings pitched. My only concern with him will be last year was the first time he had control of his fastball. What if he goes back to his original ways? Regardless, Rodney’s a good bet for saves, but expect some regression. Projections: 1-2, 2.00 ERA, 43 SV, 1.09 WHIP, 70 K

4. Mariano Rivera- It’s crazy to see how dominant a closer could be with just one pitch. The Sandman had his season cut short last year due to injuries, but that won’t stop him. While he’s a unanimous vote for the greatest reliever to ever play the game, Rivera’s 43-years-old at the moment. Don’t go off the name or his past, but since this is his final season, I expect him to go off in style. Projections: 3-3, 2.29 ERA, 39 SV, 1.13 WHIP, 67 K

5. Joel Hanrahan- The last time the Red Sox traded for a closer, it didn’t work out as planned. But I expect the tides to turn in their favor this season. Hanrahan was able to establish himself as a solid closer in Pittsburgh, including at least 36 saves the past two seasons. I do have two concerns with him though, and those are the control problems and the road splits. While the control issues are something to be worried about, he had a 4.05 ERA on the road, compared to 1.64 at home. Hanrahan’s still a top five closer when it’s all said and done. Projections: 2-4, 3.01 ERA, 35 SV, 1.15 WHIP, 64 K

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

In my previous Fantasy in Five blog, I gave you five top outfielders with my projections underneath them. Here’s part two of my top outfield rankings.

6. Carlos Gonzalez- The Rockies’ offense has propelled many major league hitters into the public eye (most recently Wilin Rosario). But where the primary example lies is in one of the most beautiful swings in all of baseball, and that man is CarGo himself. While hitting .361 lifetime at home with 55 homers, Gonzalez is a career .260 on the road with 27 home runs. Just like Chase Headley, the splits shouldn’t concern you that much. CarGo’s ability to consistently put up 20/20, along with being in his prime years, should have him drafted pretty high. Projections: .301 BA, 28 HR, 103 RBI, 95 R, 24 SB

7. Jason Heyward- Heyward suffered a sophomore slump, but came back strong enough to convince me he’s on the verge of stardom. He’s a freak of nature who’s slowly but surely fixing the holes in his swing. Heyward’s a good baserunner too who can give you 20-plus stolen bases. With his high potential and the lineup surrounding him, expect him to continue to grow. Projections: .280 BA, 25 HR, 95 RBI, 86 R, 21 SB

8. Justin Upton- We go from one Braves outfielder to another. Justin Upton had a down year (it’s good if your down year was a .280 average with 17 home runs). Now being traded to an Atlanta team alongside his brother B.J., the 25-year-old has a very high ceiling. Keep in mind Upton’s still growing as a hitter, so the down year was expected. With his projected draft status (third-fourth round), that’s not even a risk, but rather a steal for this man’s potential. Projections: .295 BA, 26 HR, 90 RBI, 100 R, 29 SB

9. Adam Jones- Regardless if there was some Orioles magic, Jones’ numbers last year were legit. He’s been progressing year after year, and now enters the age where it all comes together. The 16 steals were a surprise, and you shouldn’t be banking on that when you draft him. Either way, he’s high on my list because I think the .300-plus average will finally be in reach thanks to a few swinging adjustments. Projections: .304 BA, 30 HR, 87 RBI, 92 R, 15 SB

10. Jay Bruce- I’ve heard a lot of experts say if he doesn’t adjust his swing, he could become another Adam Dunn. To a certain extent I agree (his power numbers have increased for six straight seasons and holds a low batting average). The difference between the two is that Bruce has time to change his approach. What we can expect is at least 30 homers, 90 RBIs, and near a .250 average. The change won’t happen anytime soon, but regardless, he’s currently a top ten outfielder. Projections: .254 BA, 40 HR, 96 RBI, 82 R, 5 SB

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

Let me preface this by stating that I am not a fan of any team that’s in the MLB Playoffs.  If there’s any team I have some sort of allegiance to, it is with the New York Mets.

So obviously the biggest story will be the alleged misapplication of the Infield Fly Rule.  Before I even talk about this, let’s go back to the game itself.  I made a statement last week that Bud Selig was the most popular commissioner among the Big Four of commissioners (sorry MLS, you’ll have your day soon enough).  By now I’m sure his popularity points have plummeted with this disaster of a game.

Though the timing of it all is suspect, many have wondered why we should have this game in the first place?  After all, the Braves were six games ahead of the Cardinals, yet they both had to win in a “play-in” type of game to make it into the real postseason.  MLB will argue that this is the playoffs, but this game is as much to do with the playoffs as the play-in games during March Madness are a part of the actual bracket.  Let’s not kid ourselves.

My beef isn’t necessarily with the Braves having to play against the Cardinals.  After all, the concept of having multiple Wild Card teams has worked for the NFL Playoffs.  Other than the year where the Seahawks won their division with a 7-9 record while the Giants had to sit out because they couldn’t get a Wild-Card bid with a 10-6 record, the playoff system seems to work.

The system works because football is not played over a series.  Baseball is, and that is the huge problem I have for the Wild-Card game.  Professional baseball isn’t a season of 162 separate yet equal games.  Rather, baseball is a season full of multiple series of three or four games being played.  So why on Earth does it make sense to have a “winner takes all” game in a sport where there are an infinite amount of factors that can affect the outcome of the game?

That’s the thing about baseball.  Even the Houston Astros can win one game.  But can they win a series against a playoff team?  Absolutely not.  Why?  Because the other team is better, and isn’t that why we have a tournament at the end of the season?  To see which team is the best team in all of baseball?  You cannot determine which team is better based off of one game.  You determine it in a series.  So let’s fix this travesty.  Instead of a play-in game, have a play-in series.  It could be just three games if MLB doesn’t want to push the World Series back too far.  Not only does this still makes it important to win your division (after all, one less series to play) but the Wild Card series would be fair to both teams and in the end, generate even more money.

Back to the Infield Fly Rule.  If you want to see the entire rule, you can read it here.  One of the main issues I have is with the timing of the call.  As it states, “When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare Infield Fly for the benefit of the runners.”  I highlight the words immediately and benefit for the sake of my argument.  During this play, not only did the umpire call Infield Fly late (literally a second away from the ball dropping), but it did not benefit the runners at all.  The purpose of this rule is solely to help the runners and it failed to do so.  No matter what argument you can muster for the ruling on the field, it did not benefit the runners.  That’s the only thing that matters.

One last thing about this game, the Braves players themselves did not blame the loss on the terrible call.  I respect every guy on that team for owning up to their mistakes.  After all, they gave up three errors and left nine men runners on the bags after the 2^nd inning.

“Ultimately, I think that when we look back on this loss, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror,” said Chipper Jones, who took blame for his fourth inning wild throw that could have definitely turned into a double-play ball.  “We put ourselves in that predicament. … I’m not willing to say that the particular call cost us the ballgame.  Ultimately, three errors cost us the ballgame, mine probably being the biggest.”

Although the players were upset, yet classy in this game, the fans in the stadium were far from it.  I’m not going to take the lazy route and say something like “Real classy for a historically lousy fan base.”  I hate feeding into a stereotype of a certain group of people based on past actions.  It’s the same thing I deal with when I refer to myself as an Eagles fan.  So I must have the urge to throw something at Santa every time I see him.  Get real.  I understand the anger the Braves fans had, but throwing things onto the field is absolutely disgraceful.  However, let’s not blame this on a “historically lousy fan base.”

MLB wanted to bring in more excitement for baseball, so they added this extra Wild-Card team to shake things up.  Yes, there are more people talking about it, but this is not the kind of press Bud Selig had in mind.  But hey, congratulations baseball and Selig, you wanted MLB to be talked about more.  Be careful what you wish for.

Welcome back to another edition of Sportsfullcircle’s Fantasy in Five! I’m going to try my best to return this column as a weekly thing instead of once in a blue moon. My apologies if I haven’t been consistent, as I’ve had a busy summer.

Last week, I debuted the column for fantasy football, as I gave five rookies who could make an immediate impact on your squad. Since the trade deadline for baseball is upon us, and there have been some shocking trades, I’m going to analyze five players who have been or assumed to be traded and if they’ll get better or worse because of it.

1. Hanley Ramirez- We all knew the Miami Marlins were purchasing a championship squad this past offseason. They literally walked into the Winter Meetings with a blank check and signed players such as Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle to lucrative deals.

The team hasn’t lived up to the expectations and have started trading away key parts of their team. Once again, the Marlins are having a  fire sale, just under a new city name and logo. One of those players they traded away was Hanley Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers (our very own Bryan Lipiner breaks down the trade here).

The 28-year-old hasn’t been himself the past few seasons. Ramirez blames injuries, while I blame his attitude. He reportedly wasn’t happy with playing third base with the recent signing of Reyes. Ramirez also has had scuffles with each of his managers before Ozzie Guillen.

I think this trade will help Hanley Ramirez play like he was circa 2011. Sometimes, a new place and new fan base could help a player like it did for Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers a few years ago. He wasn’t happy in Miami for the past few years, and making him happy might make you, the owner, much happier the rest of the season.

2. Ichiro Suzuki- Now a show of hands, who saw this trade happening? Just like I thought; nobody.

Coming into the majors at 28, Ichiro has always been known to be a great defensive outfielder, hit for average, and steal tons of bases. Last year was his first to not average over .300 in a season, but still managed to steal 40 bases.

Now entering the twilight stages of his career, Suzuki is currently only hitting .261 with 16 stolen bases. Knowing the Seattle Mariners are rebuilding, he recommended a trade to help the team for the future. And who comes knocking? The New York Yankees.

This is a perfect fit and comes with massive upside. Since Brett Gardner is out for the season, Suzuki will play left field in his absence alongside Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher. He’s also an older version of Gardner, so the Yankees are not losing much on the base paths as well. Don’t forget about him being a left-handed hitter and that right field porch at Yankee Stadium.

While Ichiro’s 38-years-old and showing signs of slowing down, the Yankees are the team that have the best chance to rejuvenate his youth, knowing the team’s history. I’m not sure if he’ll be signed after this season, but since he’s also entering his contract year, expect some good numbers.

3. Zack Greinke: We’re only three years removed from when the 28-year-old won a Cy Young Award with the Kansas City Royals. Now, Greinke is going to be traded once again, mainly because of contract negotiations falling through.

Greinke’s an interesting situation. The current Brewer is a dominant pitcher at home (minus his last two starts), but has struggles on the road. He’s also an erratic pitcher, showing signs of pure dominance while also displaying poor location. He has never shown signs of consistency.

Knowing that he’s going to be traded before the deadline, his attitude might change for the better. Who knows, maybe his last start in Milwaukee will be his best to tryout for other teams. I’m expecting Greinke to pitch a little bit more consistent the rest of the way, but he’ll have his usual hiccups.

4. Ryan Dempster- Dempster demanded a trade earlier this season to pitch for a contender, knowing the Chicago Cubs are currently in the National League basement. He also knows his window is closing, being 35-years-old. The Atlanta Braves and Cubs agreed to a principle deal that would send him to Atlanta.

Thanks to the 10-5 veto rights he earned (pretty much a no-trade clause he’s earned by sticking with the team’s organization), the Braves “moved on” from attempting to acquire Dempster. He’s been telling the Chicago Cubs that it’s Dodgers or bust to this point. Los Angeles is currently working on a deal as we speak.

To be honest though, although Dempster has been dominant so far this season, he’s bound to hit a rough patch. But if he does go to the Dodgers, his production can be stable as it is since the National League West has some of the worst offensive teams in baseball that I’ve ever seen.

Overall, I expect Dempster to be a little worse than he his showing at this point. Trade him now and get your value before it’s too late.

5. Josh Johnson- Going back to the fire sale that is the Miami Marlins, we reach the ace of their pitching staff. ESPN’s Jayson Stark has reported that there’s a 95 percent chance he stays, but if he were to be traded, the Marlins want a “Teixeira-type” deal for him (three or more star prospects).

Knowing how that turned out for the Texas Rangers, acquiring Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, most teams wouldn’t budge immediately. Those prospects are what the Atlanta Braves gave up in this trade for Mark Teixeira, only to see him walk and enter free agency. Most teams don’t want a rental giving up four potential solid players.

I expect Johnson to continue his mediocre play throughout the season. The Marlins aren’t going anywhere sadly, so that’s clouding over him. If he does get moved (which I doubt) to a contender, he’ll come back to form. As of now, don’t expect an increase in pitching dominance.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email, message me on Facebook, or tweet at me via Twitter.

It took about 51 years and 8,020 games, but the New York Mets have a no-hitter to call their own. On June 2, Johan Santana shut down the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals on 134 pitches, five walks, and eight strikeouts. There are some people questioning its legitimacy since third base umpire Adrian Johnson called a fair ball foul in the top of the sixth inning.

But was this no-hitter just another one for the books? No, it was pure destiny.

The Mets have had their share of misery and embarrassment. Mostly playing second fiddle to the New York Yankees in the Empire State, their recent high was the 2006 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. That NLCS ended with Carlos Beltran striking out. The Cardinals would go on to win the World Series that year. The Mets have even traded away prospects that became stars in the league at their respective times (Miguel Cabrera, Nolan Ryan just to name a few). And let’s not forget 2007 and 2008, where they literally gave away their chances of playoff contention by ending their seasons losing to the Florida Marlins on some of the worst collapses in baseball history. Even recently, their new stadium had some criticism when first opened. Citi Field’s original walls were so far back, power numbers dropped quicker than the stock market.

Back to the no-hitter. The Cardinals starting pitcher was Adam Wainwright, while Beltran was one of the St. Louis starting outfielders. Mets third baseman David Wright, who also took part in that 2006 NLCS as well, played this special night too.

They say every no-hitter has it’s one signature catch, and this came from Whitestone native Mike Baxter. In the seventh inning, Baxter went back and caught a fly ball from Yadier Molina, only to slam his shoulder into the left field wall from the force he used to chase the ball. He left the game with a shoulder contusion.

What makes this catch so iconic is that Baxter grew up as a Mets fan. Growing up only five minutes away from the old Mets home in Shea Stadium, he always dreamed of playing for the Amazin’s. That came true for the 27-year-old, as he was acquired in 2011. He’s worked his way up and is currently batting .325 on the year.

To see a young player’s dream come true and literally catching the ball that helped continue something that’s never existed in the team’s history while getting hurt was like a movie in motion. It was like Steven Spielberg was behind home plate directing the play while it happened before our very eyes.

The pitcher Baxter helped on that play was questioned earlier this year. Johan Santana missed all of last year recovering from reconstructed left shoulder surgery. Many doctors and sports experts claimed Santana would never reach the level he once pitched at again. His fastball velocity would sink down to the high 80′s-low 90′s. This surgery was known to end pitcher’s careers. Plus, he was 33-years-old about to finish his prime.

That didn’t stop him from working hard the past year to get back to his elite level. There was a reason why I called him a fantasy baseball sleeper. Santana possess the poise and leadership of a true pitching ace. This night proves why the Mets traded for him from the Minnesota Twins. His ability to never give up and pitch with confidence has led him slowly back to the top of the pitching world. He’s 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA, 68 strikeouts, and 1.03 WHIP on the season.

But out of all Mets pitchers, Santana was the one to give the organization it’s first no-no. How is that possible? The Mets have had their good share of star pitchers, but they never delivered that special feat. From “Terrific” Tom Seaver throwing 44 shutouts as a Met, to Dwight Gooden and his infamous tenure. Even David Cone, Jerry Koosman, and Ron Darling once pitched in Queens. Seven pitchers that have once pitched for the Mets have thrown a no-hitter with different teams (Phillip Humber’s perfect game in 2012 the most recent). It’s almost asinine that it took so long for an organization to celebrate history.

One thing for sure is that Gary “the Kid” Carter was watching over Citi Field and took part in the festivities. I’m not only saying that because his number is stitched on every Mets player’s jersey, but the number eight was visible in almost every statistical category. The Mets scored eight runs in the win on eight hits. Johan Santana struck out eight batters on 134 pitchers. One plus three plus four is eight. If anyone didn’t notice, a fan ran onto the field and jumped in the huddle of players hovering Santana after the no-hitter. He was wearing a Gary Carter jersey. That could be coincidence, but me being a conspiracy nut, this took my attention.

While we give credit to Santana for pitching the no-hitter, there should be some shared with Josh Thole and manager Terry Collins. Thole caught and called the game coming off the 15-day disabled list earlier that day. What makes it even more inspiring is that he was coming off a concussion. Plus, we all know that manager Terry Collins is a man of his word. Earlier in the year, Jonathan Niese had a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves on 98 pitches. When he gave up a hit to Freddie Freeman, Collins said in a post-game interview that no matter what happened, Niese wasn’t finishing the game. With Santana, he was about to surpass his career-high for pitches in a game and left his man on the mound. He even called Santana his hero during the game. I would’ve thought that he had a shorter leash because of his recent surgery. That small act shows trust from manager to player, and by Collins going against his own words, he was a part of history.

Now with this no-hitter also came the controversy involving the Beltran foul ball. Although the ball hit the chalk and looked fair, third base umpire Adrian Johnson called it foul. This is the human element that the league is trying to eliminate slowly but surely. While people want to put an asterisk on this game, they have no right to. Human element has been part of the game for centuries and has taken part in every game. This game reminds me of Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game with the Detroit Tigers where umpire Jim Joyce blew the call on the last out. They didn’t change the outcome of that call, so why would the league switch this one? Santana’s accomplishment was as legitimate as every other no-hitter ever thrown.

Johan Santana’s no-hitter was more than just a rare stat line baseball hardly sees, but rather a story in nine innings. We all went from watching the Mets be at the helms of irrelevancy to standing up and cheering for history. It gives Mets fans something they’ve been longing for half a century that generations of fans can relate to. Johan Santana didn’t just give the Mets their first no-no, but also a hope that one can accomplish anything if they set their mind to it.

-Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Atlanta Braves have acquired coveted Astros OF Michal Bourn. In return, the Braves will receive a package of four prospects, consisting of OF Jordan Schafer, P Brett Oberholtzer, P Paul Clemens, and P Juan Abreu.

-Bourn is having a spectacular season thus far, sporting a .303 average with 39 stolen bases.

-SI‘s Jon Heyman has stated that the New York Yankees are “in” on Padres reliever Heath Bell. The 33 year-old has 30 saves for the last place Padres.

We will have more throughout the day.

-Day one kicked off with former Rays 1B Carlos Peña signing a one-year/$10 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Despite hitting just .196 last season, Peña still managed to slug 28 home runs and drove in 84 runs. He is also an above-average fielder, and should fit nicely in the Cubs lineup.

-After a reported fallout in talks, 1B/DH Paul Konerko re-upped with the Chicago White Sox for three-years at $37.5 million. He and Adam Dunn will undoubtedly provide a force to be reckoned with at U.S. Cellular.

-The Yankees have formally put in their offer to LHP Cliff Lee, according to SI’s Jon Heyman. He wonders if the Rangers will match, or if the other two mystery teams (one of which rumored to be the Baltimore Orioles) will land him with their respective seven-year offers. Many believe that Lee is holding up the negotiations between several other stars, including OF Carl Crawford and RHP Carl Pavano (who may head to Milwaukee).

-Speaking of Crawford, Heyman also believes the 29-year old is heading west to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He does cite the Yankees have met with Crawford, but the interest in Carl from the Angels is far more significant.

-One report states the Angels are “very serious” about 3B Adrian Beltre. A combination of signing Beltre and Crawford would undoubtedly assist their previously-ailing lineup.

-The Royals reached an agreement on a deal with former Ranger Jeff Francoeur. He will make $2.5 million guaranteed plus incentives.

-San Diego has reportedly acquired SS Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays in return for Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell. After a strong 2009 campaign from Bartlett, his numbers dropped significantly in 2010 to just four home runs.

-The Braves reached an agreement with reliever George Sherrill. The 34-year old was non-tendered a short time ago by the Dodgers.

-Keep your eyes open for J.J. Hardy to find his way to Baltimore. The Orioles are ready to acquire the shortstop, possibly by tomorrow.

-Cincinnati re-signed infielder Miguel Cairo to a two-year deal.

-There is a significant interest in Royals star pitcher Zach Grienke. Talks that would send him to Florida, however, are “lukewarm.”

-Two DH-related stories to report as well. The Mariners inked Jack Cust on a one-year deal, while his former team, the Athletics, are confident they can land former Angel Hideki Matsui.

That’s all we have for today, stay with the SFC twitter for more updates!

Uggla, 30, has been one of the more powerful second basemen in recent memory. He has slugged over 30 home runs in the past four season, including a career-high 33 in 2010. He also added in 105 runs-batted-in along with a healthy .508 slugging percentage.

Florida and Uggla had reportedly been working towards a four-year extension over this past weekend, which fell through after the two could not come to terms on monetary settlements. The Blue Jays had been considered the favorite to snag Uggla, but instead the team has decided to go intra-division.

Heading to Florida will be controversial All-Star Omar Infante, who did manage to impress with a .321 batting average. Also, Mike Dunn may help in the long-run, as he succeeded with two wins out of the pen in Atlanta.

Uggla joins an Atlanta team coming off of their final season managed by Bobby Cox, alongside a playoff-appearance. The team will now be headed by former Marlins skipper Fredi González.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick broke the report.

-Torre is best known for his tenure as the Yankees manager from 1996-2007, as he won four world championships to go along with six league pennants.

-Alongside the Yankees, Joe has spent time as the head of the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, and the Dodgers. He was named Dodgers manager in 2008.

-Joe also played from 1960-1977, winning a the National League MVP award in 1971. To go along with his managing credentials, he was a two-time Manager of the Year.

-Taking over for Torre is bench coach Don Mattingly, he also coached under the former while with the Yankees. Mattingly had been widely considered to replace Joe as Yankees manager back in 2008, but current Yankee skipper Joe Girardi was selected instead. It is his first managerial job.

Torre will step down at the end of the season.