League switch could be boon to Melky

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When the Braves traded Javier Vazquez to the Yankees in December, they quickly learned that many of their fans were not too excited about the fact that Melky Cabrera was the only Major Leaguer included in the return package.

Initial displeasure surrounding the deal was slightly diminished when some of those same fans came to understand the potential of 19-year-old right-hander Arodys Vizcaino, who could prove to be the most influential portion of the return provided by the Yankees.

But while Cabrera certainly isn't the power-hitting slugger that fans were hoping to receive in exchange for Vazquez, Atlanta is excited about the value he could bring while serving as a versatile outfielder whose offensive potential may yet to have been realized.

"His power is going to come," said Braves utility man Eric Hinske, who played with Cabrera last year with the Yankees. "I think he hit 13 homers last year, but he's got 20-plus capabilities."

While playing with the World Series champion Yankees last year, Cabrera hit .274 with the 13 homers, racking up 10 stolen bases and sporting a .752 OPS. With a quick evaluation of the numbers, Braves manager Bobby Cox believes it's easy to understand why the versatile 25-year-old outfielder found himself overshadowed by the likes of of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.

"When you hit .270 with 13 [homers] there, nobody talks about you," Cox said. "I like Melky. He's a solid outfielder, has a good arm, knows how to play the game and he's a great kid. He's a good leader, from what I've seen."

At first glance, it would be easy to look at the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Cabrera and mistake him for a catcher. But those who saw him patrol the Yankees' outfield the past four years certainly realize that he doesn't look anything like any of the Molina brothers once he starts racing toward fly balls.

"He was by far the best defensive outfielder we had," said Braves reliever Scott Proctor, who shared the Yankees clubhouse with Cabrera during the 2006 and '07 seasons. "When you're toeing the rubber, he's definitely a guy that you want to have behind you."

With Jason Heyward seemingly improving the odds that he'll begin the season as Atlanta's starting right fielder, it appears the switch-hitting Cabrera will likely begin the season sharing the left-field duties with Matt Diaz.

But with his versatility, the Braves envision Cabrera spending time at each of the outfield positions.

During the first two games of the Grapefruit League season, Cabrera has not had the opportunity to show whether he has the kind of power arm that Jeff Francoeur showed over the past couple of seasons in Atlanta.

But while batting leadoff and playing center field in Wednesday afternoon's 9-5 win over the Mets, Cabrera did display his speed while nearly beating out a first-inning grounder that was directed to the third-base side of the mound. Five innings later, he drew a walk to spark a four-run uprising.

"He's a guy that's going to put some good at-bats together," Proctor said. "He's going to hit to the situation and [be] a gap guy. He's just a good all-around hitter. It's going to be interesting to see how he fits in the National League. I think his talents are going to be better exposed in the National League than they were in the American League."

As a switch-hitter with strong defensive skills, Cabrera could certainly prove more valuable while being part of late-inning substitutions which are much more frequent in the NL. But at the same time, the Braves recognize that his background with the Yankees has given him a chance to be recognized as much more than simply a role player in Atlanta.

"He's just a gamer," Proctor said. "He just knows how to play the game the right way. He comes from a winning background, too, with the Yankees. So he knows how to play the game down the stretch. The pressure isn't going to get to him."

Timetable for Cards' Ryan up in the air

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A simple reading of the timetable for Brendan Ryan's rehabilitation timetable from right wrist surgery goes something like this: Ryan wants to hurry back as quickly as possible, while the Cardinals want him to be cautious. The simple reading is probably a bit too simple, but not much.

Ryan knows his own tendency to rush and to be, at times, overly enthusiastic. So he's trying to make sure he doesn't get ahead of himself.

"[I have to] make sure that I have a good understanding of what the big picture is, and remind myself of that not only daily, but hourly," he said.

Thus far, though, Ryan's rehab has gone very well. He didn't do any significant work on Wednesday, giving his wrist a chance to rest after two days of progress. But he expects to get right back to action Thursday. And within two weeks, he expects to be taking batting practice.

"Batting practice should be ... the Monday after next [March 15]," Ryan said, "and then playing, like, the 21st or 22nd -- assuming all goes well."

However well it goes, manager Tony La Russa wants to make sure Ryan doesn't risk his season in order to make an arbitrary deadline. As such, he's declined to answer whether he expects Ryan to play in any Grapefruit League games before the Cardinals break camp.

"I just think it's a bad question to answer," La Russa said. "If I say 'No,' he might push it to prove them wrong. If I say 'Yes,' and he's not ready, he's going to push it. The thing you want to do is just go day by day with him. If he has a setback, slow him down. If he's feeling good, speed it up a little bit."

So far, Ryan has had no setbacks. He even played second base and first base in the Cardinals' intrasquad game on Wednesday, though he didn't throw with his right hand. When he caught a ball, he flipped it with his glove hand.

He's still targeting Opening Day, even as he tries to make sure he doesn't get too far ahead of himself.

"It doesn't seem realistic to me," Ryan said of the possibility of missing the April 5 opener. "That one never seemed realistic to me. I never saw myself not ready for Opening Day, even to this last minute. I don't know. That's what I'm shooting for. That's my plan. But if there's any chance or risk, I'm not going to be stupid. Three games is not worth losing a season."

Wagner holds no hard feelings

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When Reggie Jackson explained why he had brought his star to the Yankees in 1977, he acknowledged money had been a critical factor but also noted that George Steinbrenner had "hustled me like a broad at the bar." Steinbrenner, the former football coach, loved pursuit.

Bobby Cox seldom has become involved in the Braves' pursuit of free agents over the years. Atlanta figured it would need a closer for 2010 though, and after Billy Wagner retired the first three Braves batters he faced -- Chipper Jones and Brian McCann included -- in his first game back with the Mets in September, the Braves knew they wanted him.

"They came after me like they were hunting," Wagner enjoyed saying. He preferred that analogy -- more appropriate for him. And he liked being the prey.

Steinbrenner wined and dined Reggie. The Waldorf, the Plaza. The Braves were wined and dined by Wagner. Who was pursuing whom? Down-home hospitality. Cox, general manager Frank Wren and pitching coach Roger McDowell flew from Atlanta to Virginia to be entertained by the reliever they hoped would entertain thoughts of pitching the ninth innings in Braves victories.

"I went to pick 'em up at the airport, right off the farm in my pickup, poop and mud all over it," Wagner said. "'This is who I am.'"

"And that's exactly what and who we wanted," Cox said Wednesday. "After we saw Billy throw against us in New York that night, we sent some scouts to follow him [after Wagner had been traded to the Red Sox]. We were serious about him right away. I don't know that I've ever gone to see a player before. Maybe I did. I don't recall. But if it meant we were gonna get Billy, then yeah, I'll go for a visit. Ya know, I'm a farm guy, too, like him."

The Mets had neither room nor role for Wagner. But the Braves, who often lacked a certified closer during their runs of division championships, had both as well as a need. So they brought in a 38-year-old left-handed pitcher who missed most of last season and the final two months of the 2008 season. They didn't consider signing him a risk. This was all about reward.

"He'll change the game for us," Cox said.

Wagner was at the park Wednesday when the Mets and Braves played each other for the second straight day. His locker had a No. 13 over it, western boots and hat in it. And tattered jeans as well. It's who he is. And he still has a gunslinger way about him, shooting from the hip.

He identified his brief tour with the Red Sox -- 15 games, 13 2/3 innings -- as "the best experience of my life." It followed a long -- though shorter than expected -- rehab from the elbow surgery he underwent in late summer 2008. And it refueled him. Four hundred saves -- he has 385 -- seemed closer. And John Franco's 424 saves, the most by a left-handed pitcher, didn't seem quite so distant. Thirty-nine saves in a season that ends when he's 39?

But Wagner figures the time he missed with the Mets will allow him to pitch later in life. He has no plan to retire if and when he passes Franco. But those saves will help the Mets, and some of them may work against them.

"I loved my time in New York," Wagner said. "It was everything it was supposed to be. They treated me well. Respectful. They told me if I came back and pitched well, they'd try to trade [rather than exercise the club option on his contract and not save $7 million]. They were helping themselves, but they were helping me, too. I have no problems with the New York Mets. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like saving 'bout 15 games against them."

Not that his time with the Braves won't have its challenges. Cox demands that his players wear slacks, no jeans, even for Spring Training games. It's who he's not.

Shields, Garza excited to get '10 started

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The Rays rolled out a pair of aces Wednesday afternoon, using James Shields and Matt Garza against the Orioles.

Tampa Bay's Nos. 1 and 2 starters got in their work, then retreated to the clubhouse, both eagerly anticipating the beginning of the 2010 campaign.

Shields started and pitched one inning, walking one and striking out another. Garza allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one in two innings.

Not only is Shields the probable No. 1 starter, but he's also an innings eater and a perennial 200-plus-inning guy. Seeing him for just one frame is an anomaly, to say the least. But stints like Wednesday's must be performed in order to build up the endurance to tackle six-plus innings once the season begins.

Aside from the work that must be done this spring, Shields smiled when talking about being back on the bump, pumping fastballs.

"Yeah, it's exciting," Shields said. "It's exciting, and I think the first time out, I held my own for my one inning. It's great to be out here, have that baseball atmosphere experience -- just walking to the bullpen and hearing the crowd yelling my name."

Shields said he got anxious before the outing, but he doesn't get the same kind of adrenaline during a Grapefruit League game as he does during the regular season.

"I got a little bit of adrenaline today," Shields said. "Once the season starts, those are the games that count, and the volume turns up a little bit."

Most would say Garza has the best stuff on the staff and that the sky is the limit for the right-hander. Garza seemed to experience a similar vibe to what Shields felt being back on the field again.

"[I] had that nervousness kick in, and that's when you know you're alive," Garza said.

Garza confessed to feeling some nerves before his outing, noting, "It's good."

"Once those things are gone, you may as well pack up and go home," Garza said. "I was real nervous today; [it] felt good."

Garza threw all fastballs and a changeup while resisting the urge to throw a slider in a situation that called for him to throw the pitch.

"There was a situation where I could have thrown a slider, but we face the Orioles 18 times this year," Garza said. "No reason to show them anything right now. These numbers don't count, as long as I get my work in and I feel good about it."

Neither Shields nor Garza wants to look in the rearview mirror. Shields said he was pleased with the effort of last year's team, noting that the 11-game losing streak at the beginning of September was the "one thing we were disappointed in." Meanwhile, Garza pointed out that 2009 is over and the Rays are now in '10.

Both are now mature Major League pitchers who know what it's like to prepare for and take part in a 162-game season.

"I'm just going to keep on doing what I've been doing," Shields said. "{And I'm gong to] try to be an inning eater. My main goal every year is to stay healthy."

Garza feels that being another year older and having another year of experience under his belt will benefit him greatly.

"Last year, I thought I had a pretty good season, but it's not what I hoped for," Garza said. "And this year, [I want to] just try and improve on what I did bad -- maybe cut down on my walks and make these guys beat me and not beat myself. And that's going to let me go deeper into the games, which means more innings, which takes a lot of pressure off the bullpen. If we can get into that seventh, eighth and ninth every time out, they're going to be happy about it."

Maholm's quick work a strong start

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Starter Paul Maholm seemed plenty pleased with his one-inning appearance against the Yankees in Wednesday's 6-3 loss, an outing that officially began his final month of preparation before the 2010 season.

Maholm retired the side -- a formidable trio of Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira -- in an 11-pitch first inning that marked the left-hander's first outing in Grapefruit League play. He induced three ground-ball outs and threw all but two of his pitches for strikes.

"It was a good day," Maholm said afterward. "When the first guy I face is Jeter and he's fouling balls off, you kind of get in the mode of being competitive and going after him and setting up pitches. My sinker was down, and the few sliders I threw were good."

Because it is still so early in spring, the Pirates planned to limit Maholm to one inning of work regardless of the result. He's scheduled to double that workload in his next outing and then continue progressing deeper into games from there.

Though manager John Russell has not tabbed an Opening Day starter, Maholm's selection as the team's first Grapefruit League starter could be a harbinger for Russell's eventual decision. Maholm has looked sharp since camp opened, and he once again arrived at Spring Training in peak physical condition.

"He has the ability to do what he needs to do to get ready," Russell said. "For the most part, he knows how to prepare and that's where he is in his career. We tell all of our pitchers not to worry so much about the ERA and results, as opposed to pitching down in the zone and pitching ahead."

Maholm specified efficiency when asked what he plans to target through March. His goal remains to get through each inning with 10 or fewer pitches.

The left-hander also insists that he is back at 100 percent after dealing with some soreness in his surgically repaired left knee last year. Pitching coach Joe Kerrigan noted earlier this spring that the Pirates made a mistake in letting Maholm pitch through injuries and even an illness last summer. However, Maholm is not getting into this debate.

Stubborn as Kerrigan had predicted, Maholm still doesn't cite injuries as a reason for the dip in his performance last year. And he maintains that he handled the physical demands of the game last year the same way he will moving forward.

"Last year is done," Maholm said. "It's been made a way bigger issue than it should have been. I'm going to pitch every fifth day. There are not a lot of guys that go out there at 100 percent for 30 something starts. It's part of it. I'll do it again. Everything is good to go."

Bell determined to add changeup to mix

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According to Fangraphs, Padres closer Heath Bell used his changeup all of 1 percent of the time in 2009.

Bell, who almost exclusively relies on his fastball and curveball, said on Wednesday the 1 percent figure might actually be a bit generous.

"I threw it four times," Bell said. "It was where I wanted it to go, but it was four times."

Bell certainly didn't suffer much from not having a true third pitch to use. He led the National League in saves (42) on his way to making his first All-Star Game appearance.

Bell said he will throw at least one changeup during Thursday's charity game against the Seattle Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex. Bell is scheduled to work one inning. He'll do so again on Sunday.

He said the changeup was a pitch he wanted to work on last spring, but his involvement with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic prevented that. Instead, Bell used his fastball-curveball combination during the season.

This spring, Bell said he's been more determined to work on the pitch and actually use it more in games.

"I want to be able to throw it more than four times. I think I need a third pitch, especially when I'm facing a team for the second or third day in a row, or when I face them a lot," Bell said.

The biggest question for Bell this season isn't how often he'll use the changeup but when. Pitching is all about setting up hitters for the next pitch. Attempting to figure out when to mix in the changeup isn't as easy as just throwing it.

"I think the changeup will be there for me," Bell said. "I feel like I can throw it in and out. I've talked to [manager Bud Black] Buddy and [pitching coach Darren Balsley] about it. Now we've just got to figure out when to use it."

Cubs reach deal with Cuban prospect

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The Cubs have reached an agreement with Cuban right-handed pitching prospect Juan Yasser Serrano. However, the deal is not expected to be finalized for another month.

The team has not confirmed the report.

Serrano, who defected from Cuba in April 2009, still needs to undergo a physical before he can join the Cubs. There also is additional paperwork that must be completed before the deal is finalized, a baseball source said Wednesday.

There was a report that Serrano threw a two-inning simulated game for the Cubs, striking out four and giving up one run on an infield hit, but a baseball source denied that took place.