Kuzul

As the 2014 MLB regular season approaches, teams begin to make calculated decisions regarding their rosters. Whether it’s deciding which pitchers will earn the right to make the rotation or which players will make the Opening Day roster, each are equally as difficult.

The news that surrounds teams at this point in the year is not always positive. Devastating injuries, unexpected trades and baffling roster moves plague the league.

Let’s take a look at the latest rumors—both good and bad—and news circulating around the majors.

Bad News for Diamondbacks

According to a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Arizona pitcher David Hernandez tore his UCL, via a statement from his agent:

Even though Hernandez is set to get a second opinion, things don’t look good.

This devastating news comes just days after fellow Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin was diagnosed with the same injury and was shelved for the season.

Arizona figures to lose two big cogs on the mound—a left-handed ace and a right-handed reliever.

Hernandez struggled early last season; however, when he was called back up in September, he looked sharp. This will be a major setback in his continued development.

These two are part of a laundry list of recent injuries suffered by the Diamondbacks.

Orioles Dump Aceves

Alfredo Aceves was brought to Baltimore in effort to build strength in the team’s bullpen. It appears he did not show enough over spring training, and the team has decided to cut him, according to a tweet from Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com:

Aceves will exercise his opt-out clause in his contract, effectively leaving the team. Ghiroli predicted which pitchers would make the bullpen this season on MLBlogs.com:

The move makes it likely Evan Meek will get the final bullpen spot, assuming there aren’t any other trades or waiver wire pickups. The Orioles came close to acquiring an unknown player on waivers on Wednesday. Zach Britton and Josh Stinson, who are both out of options, figure to make the bullpen as well. Meek has allowed one run on two hits over eight innings this spring.

After pitching 37 innings for the Red Sox in 2013, Aceves allowed 42 hits and 21 runs while walking 22 and striking out 24 batters for a 4.86 ERA. He could still provide some bullpen depth for any interested teams.

Schoop Makes Orioles’ Roster

The Orioles continued their roster moves on Friday. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that 22-year-old Jonathan Schoop will make Baltimore’s Opening Day roster:

It appears as though the Orioles plan to use the youngster as a rotational piece on defense. This could be a great move considering what Schoop brought to the table in a small sample size last season.

In 2013, Schoop only had 14 at-bats with the club but managed to record four hits, including one home run, one RBI and five runs while only striking out twice. He finished with a .283 batting average.

If Schoop can continue to display his budding skill set this season, Baltimore will reap the benefits.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

At this time last season, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter attempted to stay positive regarding his health when he began his spring training workouts. Unfortunately, his optimistic nature was not enough to carry him into the regular season remotely healthy.

Jeter only managed to play 17 games in 2013, compiling some of the worst statistics of his storied 19-year career with the Yankees. With just 63 at-bats, the shortstop managed only 12 hits for a batting average of .190—his lowest since his rookie season in 1995.

This year, it’s different for Jeter.

There has been plenty of talk about his impending retirement—he will be turning 40 in June. However, it’s been all business for the longtime Yankee. During a press conference on Wednesday, Jeter was asked about retiring:

I’m not gone yet, so it’s kind of hard to answer that question. You try to play hard, you try to have respect for your team, your teammates, your opponents, fans, reporters—everyone that you come in contact with in your job. You want to be remembered as someone that played hard.

After one more healthy season, that’s exactly how Jeter will be remembered.

But for me, I’ve always said it time and time again, the most sacred thing, the thing that means the most to me is to be remembered as a Yankee. That’s what I’ve always wanted to be is to be a Yankee. And I have to thank the Steinbrenner family that’s here today, and our late owner, The Boss, because they gave me the opportunity to pretty much live my dream my entire life, and the great thing about being a Yankee is you’re always a Yankee, so in that sense it never ends. So being a Yankee is good enough for me.

The importance of playing for this franchise is overwhelming for Jeter. He loves the Yankees and his role as a leader of the club. Rest assured, Jeter will do everything possible to remain healthy and go out on a high note.

So far, he is off to a great start.

Jeter spoke with reporters on Thursday about his health heading into spring training:

It felt like every first (day of) spring training—with the exception of last season. 

I’m always going to tell you I’m fine. This year, I mean it. 

There’s no comparison (to last year) whatsoever because I’ve had four months to basically only strengthen my legs. I can’t compare last year and this year. 

I wanted to be a little lighter, take some pressure off my legs and move around a little bit better.

Spoken like a true veteran.

Jeter’s intelligence shined again during this interview. He took all of the necessary precautions over the offseason to get himself back to form.

Over his long layoff from baseball, Jeter’s surgically repaired ankle had plenty of time to heal. Jeter didn’t stop there. As he stated in his interview, he spent months strengthening the muscles around his ankle. This persistence gives him great odds of getting through the year without re-injuring himself.

Sure, there has only been one workout to base Jeter’s health from. However, there is a clear difference between what we saw last year and what we are seeing now.

It’s still uncertain as to how much Jeter will be able to contribute to the Yankees this season. However, even if he is on a pitch count, his health will allow him to flourish no matter how often he sees the field.

Forget about Jeter’s retirement—after all, he’s not focusing on it. It’s all business for the veteran heading into his 20th season with New York. Expect one last year of memorable performances from Jeter before he finally hangs up his cleats.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2013 MLB offseason has already brought about some interesting movement around the league. Some big-name players such as Robinson Cano have signed lucrative contracts with another club. However, others are still testing the market.

The rumor mill is in full swing as these players continue to garner interest from different teams. Three players in particular have been making headlines recently, as potential landing spots have begun to take shape.

Let’s break down each player, interested teams and what the signing would mean for these franchises.

Seattle Mariners Show Interest in Nelson Cruz

Despite the Mariners’ offseason spending spree, they are still eyeing some high-priced free agents. One happens to be outfielder Nelson Cruz, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

After the Texas Rangers signed Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year, $130 million deal, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Mariners quickly turned their interest to Cruz.

Richard Justice of MLB.com thinks that Cruz would be a perfect fit in Seattle. Said Justice:

Another thing that makes [Cruz] so attractive is that the Mariners could add him without touching their nucleus of starting pitching, especially top prospect Taijuan Walker.

And then again, if they signed Cruz and wanted to trade Walker in a package that included a young position player, the Mariners would appear to be good enough to make a serious playoff run.

Cruz would certainly help out the Mariners’ bats, as he was able to deliver 27 home runs last season despite a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

Tampa Bay Rays are in on Grant Balfour

According to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports, the Baltimore Orioles were not able to close out their deal with Grant Balfour. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette had this to say regarding the closer’s physical:

The Orioles were disappointed that we couldn’t complete a contract with Grant Balfour. The reason is the club’s not satisfied with the results of the physical exam.

We would never say never or close the door, but we’re turning our attention elsewhere for now to look at some other options to try to staff our team and try to build a contending team for 2014.

This opened the door for the Rays. Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted that the team has interest in Balfour:

Tampa Bay is in the market for a closer, and Balfour seems like the logical fit. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the Rays do not see the same red flags as the Orioles did. Rosenthal relayed this from Rays team physician Koco Eaton:

Eaton told FOX Sports that he saw no red flags with Balfour’s arm, and Reds team physician Timothy Kremcheck—who performed elbow and shoulder surgeries on Balfour in 2005—concurred.

Since the team doesn’t have doubts about Belfour’s arm, it seems as though they are ready to make a push for the closer who has converted 62 of 67 save opportunities over the past two seasons.

Baltimore Orioles Seek Out Andre Ethier

According to a tweet from Jim Bowden of ESPN, the Orioles are in on Andre Ethier and Raul Ibanez:

Of course, Ibanez is now off the market, as he recently signed a one-year deal worth $2.75 million with the Los Angeles Angels, according to CBSSports.com.

That leaves Ethier as the desired target.

Ethier remains a wild card here, as he is very familiar with trade rumors. In a report from Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Ethier explained how he feels about the situation:

I thought I handled it last year from the year before—it’s the same old stuff. I prepare every offseason to make myself better to make the team win. I’m a Dodger until I’m told otherwise. That’s why I’m here today.

I stand here today still a Dodger after all the rumors. I’m moving forward with the organization and happy to be where I’m at.

Ethier had a bit of a down year in 2013, delivering just 12 home runs and maintaining a batting average of .272. Still, the seven-year veteran has plenty left in the tank and would help Baltimore remain competitive during the upcoming season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On Friday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners acquired Robinson Cano on a 10-year, $240 million blockbuster deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Now that a gratuitous amount of money has freed up for the New York Yankees, the rumors regarding how to spend it have begun to swirl.

After the Cano deal was done, USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale tweeted that the Yankees are showing interest in several players, including Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Beltran, Stephen Drew and Omar Infante:

Even before the Cano deal was finalized, rumors regarding Beltran and Choo were already surfacing, according to a tweet from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Given the loss of Cano, Infante and Drew would each make sense as replacement infielders. Beltran and Choo would certainly be able to make their marks in a depleted outfield due to the declining Ichiro Suzuki.

Of the four aforementioned players, it appears as though Drew and Infante may be the least likely to wind up in New York.

ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that the Yankees do not have an offer out to Drew at this point:

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that Infante has multiple offers and other teams appear to be more serious than the Yankees:

If the Yankees do happen to miss out on Beltran—who appears to be on top of their wish list right now—they could target Nelson Cruz, according to a tweet from Yankees beat writer Mark Feinsand:

It also looks like the Yankees will continue to compete with the Mariners over their desired free agents. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that Seattle is still interested in Choo, Beltran and Cruz:

These players have been mentioned by name; however, there could be plenty more names to come now that the Yankees have announced their willingness to spend some cash.

General manager Brian Cashman added to the notion that the Yankees would absolutely be looking around the league to fill needs while he was waiting on the Cano deal, according to an interview with Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Said Cashman:

We’re not waiting for Robbie. Robbie is not waiting for us. We’re out there trying to sign players. We’ve been trying to sign him as well, but we have a lot of needs. Obviously I know McCann would love to have Robbie as a teammate, and we would love to have Robbie as a Yankee.

Cashman continued:

But at the same time, there’s a lot of guys we’d like to have in here as well and there’s a lot of needs we have to fill. We’re aggressively trying to pursue a number of players and we have offers out for a number of players.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the Yankees this offseason. However, until the players that Cashman mentioned in his statement are named, we are left playing the waiting game.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com