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Third baseman Hank Blalock has signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays worth $925,000, plus an extra $400,000 in incentives, reports Jon Heyman .

Blalock's contract is worth approximately $6 million less than what he was earning with the Texas Rangers last season. 

According to Nick Cafardo, the contract talks seem to be progressing:

The newest host on the San Francisco Giants' flagship radio station took a swipe at how the club opted to exact revenge against Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder.

F.P. Santangelo, a former big leaguer and current part-time Giants analyst, said that Barry Zito's hitting Fielder with a pitch in Thursday's spring training game was a weak, inappropriate response to the controversial home plate celebration Fielder and his Milwaukee teammates acted out following his game-winning home run late last year.

The San Francisco Giants found an unlikely enforcer willing to play the role of the old-school tough guy on Thursday.

Remember Prince Fielder's September 2009 walkoff home run that beat the Giants? How Fielder and his teammates enjoyed a choreographed celebration as Fielder crossed the plate?

The Giants, particularly Zito, remember well.

A source in the Tampa Bay Rays organization says that outfielder Jermaine Dye is backing off his demand for a contract that promises he’ll get a starting job. The Rays are the only team making that promise, so Dye’s agent Bob Bry is reportedly looking elsewhere and might have contacted the San Francisco Giants.

Dye, 36—yeas old, hit  .302 with 20 home runs for the White Sox in the first half of 2009. When he became the topic of trade talks every single day, he fell to .179 with just seven homers in the second half.

Professional baseball leagues and ballclubs have long scouted Japan for hidden talent.  Attaining pitchers like Hideo Nomo and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and bats like Ichiro and Hideki Matsui have long been the goal of big league clubs searching for those diamonds in the rough.

The Chico Outlaws of the Independent Golden Baseball League are reportedly interested in signing Japanese knuckleballer Eri Yoshida, according to the Japan Times. 

I am going to have to admit, I am pretty tired this morning.

Last night was the playoffs of my Team Trivia league, and it was a long night for a Tuesday.

Like the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, we finished in second place and earned a silver medal.

While we didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal of finishing first, I will take solace in the fact that we finished ahead of a team that had a girl who was on Jeopardy! on their squad.

Justin Upton is a star.

Apparently, so is Josh Byrnes. The GM reportedly has reached an agreement with the 22-year-old slugger for six years at around $50 million.

Contrary to what many people believe, Joey Votto is going to remain the Cincinnati Reds first baseman for a long time.

Some think that once Yonder Alonso is ready for the big leagues, he will play first and send Joey Votto to left field.

That is, of course, if you believe GM Walt Jocketty . Alonso has been working out at third base and the corner outfield spots in spring training.

With an overwhelming vote of 91 percent, The Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU) will partner with Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), AFL-CIO.

This partnership will now be known as AMLU/OPEIU Guild 322, the 322 representing three balls, two strikes, two outs.

The AMLU was created in 2000 as a way to protect the interests of everyone involved. Prior to ‘00, umpires did not have representation.